November 1997 Volume 1, Issue 1

SScones, quintessentiallyEnglish. The origin of theword scone is debatable.

Some say it comes from the Dutchword schoonbrot (beautiful bread)and others say it comes from Stone(Scone) of Destiny, where the Kingsof Scotland were crowned. Sconewas the name given for a Scottishbread that was made with oats andcooked either on a griddle or openfire. They were originally triangular-shaped. Golden brown in colorwith a soft inside, they were cut inhalf and served warm with butterand jam or lemon curd.

Times have changed. They are nolonger just a biscuit that the Englishserve with afternoon tea. Sconescan be found in coffeeshops andbakeries all over the world.Generally made using milk, sconesnow contain cream, buttermilk, sourcream, or yogurt depending on therichness and sweetness you desire.Sultanas (raisins), dried or freshfruit, chocolate, herbs, cheese andvegetables are samples of what younow see added to scones. Differentflours (both white and wholewheat), cornmeal and oatmeal canbe used. The combinations areendless.

ALL ABOUT SCONES

“Dedicated to Reviving the Lost Art of Baking”

IN THIS ISSUE♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

The Newsletter

TThis newsletter is the resultof feedback received dur-ing the six months

www.joyofbaking.com hasbeen online. I have found that peo-ple are interested not only in tast-ing a good product but also how itis accomplished. Baking involvesnot only a good workable recipe,but also using top quality ingredi-ents and knowing the procedures tofollow to achieve success. This hasbeen my goal for my website andnow this newsletter.

The huge demand on my websitefor scone recipes prompted me todevote my first newsletter to thistopic. In creating these recipes Ihave tried to use different flavorcombinations in making both sweetand savory scones. Hopefully, youwill enjoy, as I have, both bakingand eating these scones.Bon Appetit. Stephanie

As a child visiting England Iremember going to a hotelrestaurant and having scones withdevonshire cream (clotted cream)and jam. It was a special occasionand we dressed up and went withmy grandparents. We felt so grownup having our tea and scones. Icouldn't believe scones and creamcould taste so delicious, and I ate asmany as I was allowed. Thesweetness of the scones, combinedwith the thick cream and jam wasdelightful. Having scones was aspecial treat and it never occurred tome that you could make and enjoythese delicacies at home. Growingup in Canada, scones were no whereto be seen or heard of. They quicklybecame a fond memory of myvacations in England.

"There are few hours in life moreagreeable than the hour dedicatedto the ceremony known as after-

noon tea"- Henry James

Joy of Baking

www.joyofbaking.com

TIPS ONMAKINGSCONES

page 2

Scones are not difficult or timeconsuming to make and with a littleeffort, you will be rewarded with alight flaky scone. The most impor-tant rule in making scones is toHANDLE THE DOUGH AS LITTLEAS POSSIBLE. I do not recom-mend using an electric mixer sincethere is a tendency to overmix.Overworking the dough causes aheavy, dense and tough scone.

Scones follow the basic methodof mixing your dry ingredients to-gether, cutting in the butter, andthen adding the liquid ingredients.The butter should be cold, but theother ingredients (including theliquid) should be at room tempera-ture. Start by mixing the dry in-gredients together in a large bowl,using either a wire whisk (this aer-ates the flour) or wooden spoon.The butter (only use butter as itenhances flavor, tenderness, andflakiness) must be cold and cutinto 1/2 inch (1.25) cubes. Using apastry blender, two knives, or yourfingertips, cut the butter into thedry ingredients until the mixtureresembles coarse crumbs. Justmake sure you use a light touchand don't overmix. At this pointadd any fruit, nuts or chocolateyou may be using. Make a well inthe center of the dry ingredientsand pour in your liquid, using awooden spoon to combine. Whenthe dough forms moist clumps,gather the dough into a ball, usingyour hands, and transfer to alightly floured surface. The doughwill be sticky. Use as little flouras possible when rolling out thedough, as too much flour producesa tough scone.

Knead very lightly until the dough formsa ball and is smooth (about 10 seconds).Pat the dough into a 7 inch (17.5 cm) cir-cle. Using a sharp knife, cut the circleinto 8 triangles. Alternatively, use acookie cutter dipped in flour (this pre-vents the dough from sticking to thecutter) to cut out scones. Gently kneadtogether any leftover scraps, and cutout remaining scones. With a pastrybrush, brush off any excess flour on thescones and place on prepared bakingsheet.

When baking scones I use a 12 x 16 inch(30 x 40 cm) baking pan lined with parch-ment paper. Parchment paper makesclean up easier and also prevents thescones from overbrowning on the bot-tom. Instead of parchment paper, youcan lightly spray your pan with a non-stick vegetable oil.

The prepared scones are now ready forglazing. Glazing means brushing the topsof the scones with egg mixed with milk,cream or water. This not only gives thescones a shiny, crisp and golden top, butalso removes any excess flour from thescones. A hot oven causes the scones torise quickly, thus producing a light flakyscone.

If you desire scones with crusty topsand bottoms, but soft sides, place thescones close together on your bakingsheet. This produces straight scones asthey give each other support as theyrise. Scones that are placed a fewinches apart have crusty tops and sidesbut do have a tendency to topple over(so don't worry if this happens). Afterbaking, remove the scones from the ovenand cool on a wire rack. If soft sconesare desired, then leave the scones onthe baking sheet and lightly cover with aclean dish towel.

Scones are best eaten the same day asbaked but they can be frozen. Freeze ina sealed plastic bag for up to twomonths. Reheat in the microwave ovenor in a 350 °F (180 °C) oven.

Before you begin baking make sureyou read over your recipe severaltimes in order to get familiar withthe procedures. Premeasure all youringredients before you begin as thisprevents you from leaving out an in-gredient. Preheat your oven to thedesired temperature and have yourbaking pan prepared. Combine yourglaze ingredients and set aside.

When making scones I use bleachedall-purpose white flour (T55) . Youcan substitute unbleached all-purpose white flour for the bleachedflour. Whole wheat flour makes aheavier, more dense scone. To getthe best results only substitutewhole wheat flour for one-quarter ofthe white flour amount in the sconerecipes.

There is no substitute for the flavorof butter. Butter makes scones lightand flaky. I prefer to use unsaltedbutter and then add my own salt inthe recipe. Make sure the butter iscold and cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm)pieces. You can use margarine orshortening but you will taste the dif-ference.

Some recipes call for heavy whippingcream. This refers to the cream’sbutterfat content which is between35% and 40% for heavy whippingcream. Half and half cream containshalf cream and half milk and is about10% butterfat. Buttermilk is calledfor in some recipes and it can be sim-ply made by combining one cup (250ml) milk with 1 tablespoon (12 grams)lemon juice or cider vinegar. Let thismixture sit for five minutes beforeusing.

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder2 tablespoons (28 grams) granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) pieces1/2 cup (125 ml) milk1 large egg, beaten

Glaze:1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) milk

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Line abaking pan with parchment paper orlightly spray with a non-stick vegetableoil. For the glaze, mix together thebeaten egg with the milk and setaside.

In a large bowl whisk together flour,baking powder, sugar and salt. In ameasuring cup combine the milk withthe beaten egg. With a pastryblender, two knives, or your finger-tips, rub the butter into the flour mix-ture until it resembles coarse crumbs.Make a well in the center of the dryingredients and add the liquid. Mixtogether with a wooden spoon, mak-ing sure you do not overwork thedough. Just mix until dough formsmoist clumps.

Gather dough together and transfer toa lightly floured surface. Gentlyknead dough until it forms a ball (10seconds). Roll out dough until it is 1inch (2.5 cm) thick. With a floured 21/2 inch (6 cm) cutter, cut out roundsand place on prepared baking pan.Knead together scraps and cut out re-maining scones. Brush scones withglaze and bake for 15 minutes or untillightly brown on top. Remove fromoven and cool on wire rack. Makes 8scones.

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AA rich, cakelike scone that isperfect anytime. This is agreat basic recipe in which

dried fruits, zest, chocolate chips, orpoppyseeds can also be added. Feelfree to experiment with differentflavors and extracts.

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) pieces1 large egg, beaten1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream

Glaze:1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C)with rack in center of oven. Line abaking sheet with parchment paperor lightly spray with a non-stick veg-etable oil. To make the glaze, mixtogether the beaten egg with thecream. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour,sugar, baking powder and salt. Cutthe butter into small pieces andblend into the flour mixture with apastry blender, two knives, or finger-tips. This mixture should look likecoarse crumbs. In a small measur-ing cup, combine the whippingcream, beaten egg and vanilla. Makea well in the center of the dry ingre-dients and add the liquid, stirringwith a wooden spoon until the bat-ter forms moist clumps. The batterwill be sticky. Do not overmix.

Gather dough together with yourhands and transfer to a lightlyfloured surface. Gently knead forabout 10 seconds until dough formsa ball and is smooth. Pat dough

CREAM SCONES into a 7 inch (17.5 cm) circle that isabout 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Usinga sharp knife, cut circle into 8 trian-gular sections. With a pastry brush,brush off excess flour from scones,and place scones on prepared bakingsheet. Brush the tops of scones withthe glaze and sprinkle lightly withsugar (if desired).

Bake for approximately 15 minutes,until lightly browned, or a toothpickinserted in the middle of the sconecomes out clean. Remove fromoven. Transfer to a wire rack tocool. Makes 8 scones.

Variation: (Add these ingredientsafter you have cut-in the butter tothe dry ingredients and just beforeadding the liquid ingredients.)

∗ Add 1/3 cup (42 grams) dried redtart cherries, blueberries, or 1/3cup (66 grams) chocolate chips.

∗ Add 1/3 cup (42 grams) dried cran-berries plus 1 tablespoon (6 grams)grated orange zest.

∗ Add 1 tablespoon (8 grams) poppyseeds and 1 teaspoon (4 grams)pure almond extract (use insteadof vanilla extract). Sprinkle topsof scones with sliced almonds be-fore baking.

∗ Add 1 tablespoon (6 grams) gratedlemon zest and 1 tablespoon (8grams) poppy seeds.

ENGLISH SCONE

This is a classic scone that the En-glish serve at afternoon tea withcream, jam, or lemon curd. Raisins(Sultanas) (1/4 cup or 30 grams)and grated lemon or orange zest (1tablespoon or 6 grams) can beadded.

TIP: A large egg weighs 2 ounces(56.7 grams) in the shell, or 1.75ounces (50 grams) without the shell.

forms moist clumps. Gather updough with hands and transfer to alightly floured surface. Gentlyknead until dough forms a ball andis smooth (10 seconds). Pat thedough into a 7 inch (17.5 cm) circleand cut into 8 triangles using asharp knife. Place the scones on theprepared baking pan and brush topsof scones with glaze. Bake for ap-proximately 15 minutes (the outsideof the scone will be firm and themiddle soft). Remove from ovenand transfer to wire rack to cool.Makes 8 scones.

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LLoaded with chocolate chipsand dried cherries, theylook wonderful drizzled

with melted white chocolate.

1 2/3 cups (234 grams) all-purpose flour1/3 cup (28 grams) cocoa powder1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon (4 grams) instant espressopowder1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) pieces1 large egg, beaten1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream1/3 cup (66 grams) chocolate chips1/3 cup (42 grams) dried cherries

Glaze:1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C)with rack placed in center of oven.Line a baking pan with parchmentpaper or spray with a non-stick veg-etable oil. In a small bowl combinebeaten egg with cream for glaze. Setaside.

In a large bowl whisk together theflour, cocoa powder, sugar, bakingpowder, salt and espresso powder.Cut the butter in small pieces andblend into the flour mixture with apastry blender, two knives, or finger-tips. The mixture should resemblecoarse crumbs. Add chocolate chipsand dried cherries to dry ingredi-ents. In a small measuring cup,combine the whipping cream,beaten egg and vanilla extract. Us-ing a wooden spoon, add liquid todry ingredients, mixing until dough

ESPRESSOCHOCOLATESCONES

TIP: TO DRIZZLE WITH MELTEDWHITE CHOCOLATE: In the top of adouble boiler over simmering water,melt 3 ounces (85 grams) of choppedwhite chocolate with 1 teaspoon (4grams) vegetable shortening. Transfermelted chocolate to a parchment coneor plastic bag with one end cut anddrizzle over cooled scones.

On a lightly floured surface roll outEnglish Scone dough using a flouredrolling pin or your hands. Spreadinto a 16 by 10 inch (40 by 25 cm)rectangle. Let dough rest for 10minutes. Meanwhile, combine cin-namon mixture ingredients in asmall bowl. With a metal spatula orknife evenly spread the cinnamonmixture over the dough. Starting atthe short side roll up the dough intoa cylinder, brushing off excess flouras you roll. With a sharp knife cutcylinder in half, and then in halfagain (you will have 4 equal pieces).Cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces(12 pieces altogether). Place slices,cut side up, in the cake pan, evenlyspaced. Gently brush tops ofscones with 1 tablespoon (14 grams)milk or cream. Bake in preheatedoven for 17 to 19 minutes, or untillightly browned, or toothpick in-serted in center of scone comes outclean. Remove from oven and coolon wire rack for 5 minutes. Invertonto a wire rack, and then reinvertonto another wire rack (scones areright side up).

Combine 1/2 cup (58 grams) pow-dered (confectioners or icing) sugar,1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup, 1/8teaspoon vanilla extract and enoughhalf-and-half cream [1-2 tablespoons(14-28 grams)] to make the glazethin enough to drizzle over cinna-mon scones.Makes 12 scones

CINNAMONSCONES

SSimilar to cinnamon buns(rolls) but easier to make asthere is no yeast. Drizzle the

baked scones with a powdered sug-ared glaze.

English Scone Dough (page 3)

Cinnamon Mixture:1/3 cup (72 grams) light brown sugar1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, roomtemperature1 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Grease a9 inch (23 cm) cake pan with butteror spray with a non-stick vegetable oil.Set aside.

TIP: To warm eggs up quickly toroom temperature, place in a bowl ofwarm water for about five minutes.TIP: To warm liquids to room tem-perature quickly, microwave forabout 10 seconds.

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TThese scones are burstingwith cranberries and or-ange zest. Fresh, frozen,

or dried cranberries or raspberriescan be used.

1 1/3 cups (188 grams) all-purpose whiteflour2/3 cups (90 grams) whole wheat flour1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar1 1/4 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder1/4 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) pieces3/4 cup (190 ml) buttermilk, room tempera-ture1/3 cup (42 grams) dried cranberries1 tablespoon (6 grams) grated orange zest

For Glaze:1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) cream

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Line abaking pan with parchment paper orlightly spray with a non-stick veg-etable oil. In a small bowl combinethe beaten egg with cream for glaze.Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flours,sugar, baking powder, baking sodaand salt. Cut butter into ½ inchpieces (1.25 cm) and with a pastryblender, two knives, or your finger-tips rub the butter into the flourmixture until it resembles coarsecrumbs. Add the cranberries andgently toss to coat. In a measuringcup combine the buttermilk withthe orange zest. Make a well in thecenter of the dry ingredients andadd the liquid. Gently stir with awooden spoon until moist clumpsform. The dough will be sticky.

Gather dough up with hands andtransfer to a lightly floured surface.Gently knead dough until it forms aball and is smooth. Pat dough intoa 7 inch (17.5 cm) circle and cutinto 8 triangles using a sharp knife.Place scones on prepared baking panand brush with glaze.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 min-utes or until lightly browned(toothpick inserted in center ofscone comes out clean). Removefrom oven and cool on wire rack.Makes 8 scones

CRANBERRY-ORANGE WHOLEWHEAT SCONES

TIP: To make your own buttermilkcombine 1 cup (250 ml) milk with 1tablespoon (28 grams) lemon juice orcider vinegar. Let mixture stand for5 minutes before using.

GINGERBREADSCONES

IIf you like gingerbread cookies,then these will become a fa-vorite. These are great drizzled

with a powdered sugar glaze,.

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar3/4 cup (62 grams) old fashioned or quickcooking oatmeal (Quaker Oats)1 teaspoon (2 grams) ginger1 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon1/8 teaspoon cloves2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) cubes1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk2 tablespoons (44 grams) molasses1/3 cup (42 grams) dried cherries or cran-berries1/4 cup (30 grams) currants

Glaze1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) cream

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Line abaking pan with parchment paper orlightly spray with a non-stick veg-etable oil. In a small bowl makeglaze by combining beaten egg withcream. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar,oatmeal, ginger, cinnamon, cloves,salt, baking powder and bakingsoda. Cut the butter into smallpieces and with a pastry blender,two knives, or your fingertips rubthe butter into the flour mixture un-til it resembles coarse oatmeal. Adddried cherries and currants. In ameasuring cup combine buttermilkand molasses. Add liquid to dry in-gredients and stir, with a woodenspoon, until it forms moist clumps.Gather dough together and transferto a lightly floured surface. Gentlyknead dough until it forms a ball.Shape into a 7 inch (17.5 cm) circleand, using a sharp knife, cut into 8triangles. Place on prepared bakingpan and brush with glaze.

Bake in oven for approximately 14minutes or until firm and goldenbrown (toothpick inserted in centerof scone comes out clean). Removefrom oven and cool on wire rack.

To make a glaze for scones combine½ cup (58 grams) powdered (icingor confectioners) sugar, ½ teaspoonlight corn syrup, 1/8 teaspoon purevanilla extract, and 1-2 tablespoons(14-28 grams) cream. Drizzle overscones and serve. Makes 8 scones.

TIP: To keep spices fresh, store in acool, dark, dry space and replace ev-ery year.

TIP: If using fresh cranberries orunsweetened frozen raspberries cutin half and toss with 1 tablespoon (14grams) of sugar. Let stand for 5minutes before using.

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TThese are excellent withsoups or stews. SharpCheddar or Edam Cheese

can be used.

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated sugar2 teaspoon (8 grams) baking powder1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt1/4 teaspoon pepperPinch of cayenne pepper (optional)1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 12 pieces3/4 cup (188 ml) milk, room temperature1 cup (54 grams) grated sharp cheddarcheese or edam cheese4 slices [1/3 cup (26 grams)] cooked bacon,cooled and chopped into small pieces1 tablespoon (2 grams) finely choppedchives (green onions)

Glaze:1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) milk

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Line abaking pan with parchment paper orlightly spray with a non-stick veg-etable oil. Make glaze by combiningbeaten egg with milk. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together theflour, sugar, baking powder, salt andpepper. Cut butter into ½ inch(1.25 cm) cubes and rub butter intoflour mixture using a pastry blender,two knives, or your fingertips, untilmixture resembles coarse crumbs.Add the grated cheese, choppedcooked bacon and chives to the dryingredients. Make a well in the cen-

ter of the dry ingredients, add themilk, and stir gently with a woodenspoon, until mixture just forms aball. Do not overmix.

Place the dough on a lightly flouredsurface and knead (10 seconds) untilsmooth. Roll or pat dough 1 inch(2.5 cm) thick and using a floured 21/2 inch (6 cm) cutter, cut outrounds. Place on the prepared bak-ing pan and brush with glaze. Sprin-kle 1 teaspoon of grated cheddarcheese on the top of each scone (ifdesired). Bake in preheated ovenfor 15 minutes or until lightlybrowned on top and cheese hasmelted (toothpick inserted in centerof scone comes out clean). Cool onwire rack.Makes 8 scones.

CHEESE, BACON& CHIVE SCONES

TEX-MEXSCONES

TThis recipe comes from alittle book called SimplyScones by Leslie Weiner

and Barbara Albright. This sconecontains cornmeal, cheese, chiliesand spices that is great topped withTaco Spread (page 7) and servedwith a bowl of chili.

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour1/2 cup (84 grams) yellow cornmeal1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated sugar2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon chili powder1/8 teaspoon ground cumin1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper(optional)1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, chilledand cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) pieces1 large egg3 tablespoons (42 grams) milk3 tablespoons (42 grams) undrainedchopped, canned green chilies1/2 cup (27 grams) grated sharp CheddarCheese

Glaze:1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon (14 grams) milk

Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Line abaking pan with parchment paper orspray with a non-stick vegetable oil.In a small bowl combine the beatenegg with milk for glaze. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together theflour, cornmeal, sugar, baking pow-der, salt, chili powder, cumin andpepper. Cut the butter into ½ inch(1.25 cm) cubes and rub into flourmixture using a pastry blender, twoknives, or fingertips until the mix-ture resembles coarse crumbs. Addthe grated cheese to the dry ingredi-ents. In a small bowl stir togetherthe egg, milk and chilies. Make awell in the center of the dry ingredi-ents and add the egg mixture, stir-ring with a wooden spoon. Withlightly floured hands, gather up thedough and knead gently to bringdough together.

Transfer dough to a lightly flouredsurface and pat dough into a 8 inch(20 cm) circle. Cut circle into 8 tri-angles using a sharp knife, andtransfer to prepared baking pan.Brush tops and sides of scones withthe glaze. Bake on the middle rackof oven for 18 minutes or until thetop is lightly browned and a tooth-pick inserted into the center of thescone comes out clean. Cool sconeson a wire rack. Makes 8 scones.

TIP: Use double-acting baking pow-der in your scone recipes. Bakingpowder should be stored in a cooldry place and replaced every sixmonths. To test to see if your bak-ing powder is still good, combine 1/2cup (125 ml) hot water with 1 tea-spoon (4 grams) baking powder. Thismixture should bubble.

page 7

TThis is a great spread tohave on Tex-Mex or PlainScones. If you want the

spread to be spicier add more chilipowder and/or hot taco sauce.

4 ounces (112 grams) cream cheese, soft-ened2 tablespoons (28 grams) undrainedchopped, canned green chilies3 tablespoons (42 grams) medium tacosauce (salsa)1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar1/4 teaspoon chili powder1/4 teaspoon cumin

In a food processor, fitted with ametal blade, place the cream cheese,chilies, taco sauce, sugar, chili pow-der and cumin. Process for 20 sec-onds or until smooth. Scrape downthe sides of bowl as needed. Refrig-erate if not serving immediately.Makes 3/4 cup.

TACO SPREAD

PESTO, FETACHEESE, ANDSUN-DRIEDTOMATO SCONES

TIP: TO MAKE YOUR OWN PESTO:In a food processor combine 1 clovegarlic, 1/4 cup (32 grams) pine nuts,and 2 cups (472 ml) fresh basilleaves. Process for 10 seconds.With motor running add 3/4 cup (190ml) extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup(60 grams) freshly grated parmesancheese. Add salt to taste. Makesapproximately one cup (250 ml)Pesto.

HHere I have taken the basicscone recipe and filled itwith pesto, sun-dried

tomatoes, and feta cheese. Greatwith soups. You can use purchasedpesto or make your own.

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated sugar2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, cut into1/2 inch (1.25 cm) cubes3/4 cup (188 ml) milk, room temperature3 tablespoons (36 grams) Pesto(purchased or homemade)1/3 cup (48 grams) Feta Cheese, cut intosmall cubes1 1/2 tablespoons (10 grams) oil packedsun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

Glaze:1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil2 teaspoons (8 grams) freshly gratedparmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 °F (205 °C) andplace rack in center of oven. Butteror lightly spray a 9 inch (23 cm) cakepan with a non-stick vegetable oil.Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together theflour, sugar, baking powder and saltuntil combined. Cut butter into ½inch (1.25 cm) cubes and rub butterinto flour mixture using a pastryblender, two knives, or your finger-tips until mixture resembles coarsecrumbs. Make a well in the centerof the dry ingredients, add the milk,and stir gently with a wooden spoonuntil mixture forms moist clumps.Do not overmix.

Gather dough together with handsand place on a lightly floured sur-face and knead until smooth (10 sec-onds). Roll dough with a flouredrolling pin into a 16x 10 inch(40x25 cm) rectangle. With a knifeor metal spatula evenly spread pestoover dough. Sprinkle with fetacheese and sun-dried tomatoes.Starting at the short end roll doughinto a cylinder, brushing off any ex-cess flour as you roll. With a sharpknife, cut dough in half, and then inhalf again (you will have 4 pieces).Cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces(12 pieces altogether) and place inthe prepared pan, cut- side up.Brush lightly with olive oil andsprinkle with freshly grated parme-san cheese. Bake in preheated ovenfor 15 minutes or until lightlybrowned on top (toothpick insertedin center of scone comes out clean).Cool on wire rack. Makes 12scones.

SPREADS FORSCONES

Your scone tea tray can be en-hanced with not only a variety offruit preserves or jams, but also De-vonshire Cream and/or LemonCurd.

TIP: When using Parmesan cheesebuy the best that you can(Parmigiano Reggiano). When grating,first remove the outer rind and grateusing a fine hand grater. You can alsograte the cheese using a food pro-cessor fitted with a metal blade.

TIP: Make sure you use a good qual-ity taco sauce or else make your own.

DEVONSHIRECREAM LEMON

CURD

If fruit-flavored Cream is desired,add 3-4 tablespoons (36-48 grams)strawberry or raspberry puree (or 2-3 tablespoons strawberry preserves).If using a puree, whip with other in-gredients. If using preserves, add tothe cream once it is whipped.

*Mascarpone is a thick, sweet Italiancream cheese that has the texture of sourcream. It can be found in specialty foodstores.

LLemon Curd is a thicklemon-flavored cream thatcontains eggs, butter, sugar,

lemon juice and lemon zest. It iscooked and when cooled, is used asa spread for scones. If you have anyleftover lemon curd, it can be usedto fill prebaked tart shells.

3 large eggs1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice(approximately 3 lemons)1 tablespoon (6 grams) finely grated lemonzest3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, cut intosmall chunks

In the top of a double boiler overmedium heat combine the eggs,sugar, lemon juice and zest. With awire whisk, whisk the mixture con-stantly until it thickens and starts toboil. Remove from heat and pourinto a heatproof bowl. Cut the but-ter into small pieces and whisk intomixture until the butter is melted.Lightly sprinkle sugar over the topof the lemon curd (this prevents askin from forming) and cover withplastic wrap. (The lemon curd willthicken as it cools.) The lemon curdwill keep for several days refriger-ated. Makes one cup.

TIP: If you find that the eggs havecurdled a bit when cooking and themixture is not smooth, simply strainthe mixture before adding the butter.It is important that you whisk the eggmixture constantly when cooking.This will prevent the eggs from cur-dling.

Lemons at room temperature havemore juice when squeezing. Aftersqueezing, strain the juice to removeall the pulp. When grating lemons forzest, make sure you only grate the peeland not the white part. When lemonsare cold they are much easier to grate.Grate lemons just before using as thezest will lose moisture if it sits toolong.

The JOY OF BAKING Newsletter iswritten by Stephanie Jaworski. Editedby Paula Bosler. The Joy of Bak-ing Newsletter is published single edi-tions electronically for $4.95. Indianaresidents add 5% sales tax. Check outour web-site for more information:www.joyofbaking.com© Copyright 1997 Joy of Baking

Resources:

- Bloom, Carole. The International Dictionary of Desserts, Pastries, and Confections . New York: WilliamMorrow and Company, Inc., 1995.- Weiner, Leslie & Albright, Barbara.Simply Scones . New York: St. Mar-tin’s Press, 1988.

Devonshire or Clotted Cream is arich, thick cream that is produced byskimming the thick cream thatforms on the top of unpasteurizedwhole milk when heated. It isfound primarily in England, butDouble Devon Cream (made in Eng-land) can be found in a lot of spe-cialty food stores.

½ cup (110 grams) mascarpone* (or creamcheese)½ cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream2 tablespoons (12 grams) confectioners(powdered or icing) sugar

Place mixing bowl and beaters in thefreezer for 10 minutes. Combine allthe ingredients in mixing bowl andbeat on medium-high speed untilstiff peaks form. Serve immediatelyor refrigerate for a few hours. Thiscream does not hold very well so ifrefrigerating, rewhip cream beforeserving. Makes one cup.

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