Royal Scones
I don’t really know what’s going on this month. It’s nuts. Work is busy, though that’s normal, and my extra-curricular calendar is out of control. Next weekend, being Memorial Day, will kick off a summer of weekends at the lake, which could either way – forced relaxation or an increase to the mania. Time will tell.
I feel like I’ve barely been cooking or blogging beyond the weekly French Friday challenges, but here’s a quick one. The recent royal wedding left me with a craving for scones. Scones are probably my favorite quick bread. They’re personal-sized, not too sweet, and perfect with a cup of tea for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. I put together these almond-cardamom scones, featuring two of my favorite flavors. The recipe is loosely based on the recipe for Cardamom Shortcakes (as in Strawberry Shortcakes) from In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley.
Almond-Cardamom Scones
Inspired by Regan Daley
Makes 1 dozen
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup almond meal
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup half-and-half (plus a little more for brushing tops of scones)
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of scones
¼ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt a few time to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal.
Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg and half-and-half. Stir until the dough just comes together. It will be sticky.
Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface with floured hands, pat each half into a circle about ¾-inch thick (about 6 inches in diameter). Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Arrange the scones on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each with half-and-half. Sprinkle with sugar. Top with sliced almonds. Press the almonds lightly to make them stick.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
French Fridays with Dorie: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad
Last weekend, I went to Delaware to attend a surprise party for my cousin’s birthday. It was a milestone birthday, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to help celebrate. It was a blast to spend the afternoon having lunch and catching up with family and family friends. The bonus of the weekend was that I flew in and out of Baltimore, so I also had an extended visit with my sister Jane (and a brief visit with my other sister Jennifer, but only at the party).
My sister Jane lives on a farm, though she, personally, does little in the way of farming. Her father-in-law takes charge of the agriculture and animal husbandry going on there. It is peak asparagus season in Maryland. Although Jane and I didn’t have time to cook together this trip, I was fortunate to be able to stash a bundle of freshly picked asparagus spears from their garden in my luggage. Perfect for this week’s FFwD (French Fridays with Dorie) recipe: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad!
Freshly Picked Asparagus
I really loved last week’s spinach and bacon quiche, so I’m not sure what superlative to use for this week’s salad which I loved even more, by leaps and bounds. True confessions, I do love salad for dinner. I made the full recipe and split it between the two of us for dinner, two eggs each. This salad had so many different flavors and textures. There was the piquant vinaigrette on the salad greens, the salty bacon, the grassy asparagus, the runny eggs, all topped with toasty walnuts. It was having a party in my mouth.
Busy Stovetop
My only gripe about this recipe is the eggs. First, I wish my eggs had been a little runnier. I cooked the eggs for the recommended 6 minutes. I’m thinking maybe I didn’t run them under cold water for long enough. They weren’t hard-boiled, but they were a little past soft-boiled. In any case, I thought that the egg part was fussy. The eggs were boiled, peeled, and warmed in bacon fat. Next time, I’ll just poach the eggs, which will be slightly less attractive, but easier for me (I don’t really like peeling boiled eggs).
I liked the vinaigrette so much that I made it again later in the week for tossing with more salad. I think it will get rolled into the salad dressing repertoire.
As I said, I adored this salad. Asparagus season is short, so I’m excited to read about any substitutions the other FFwD bloggers might have tried. You can check out their posts by following the links from French Fridays with Dorie. You can find the recipe in the cookbook, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table.
A Plateful of Happiness 