Cream Scones with Currants
END OF SUMMER PICNIC WITH LISA
PART 2
“I don’t know what to do if she is going to labor right at this second. What do I do, what do I do? Dial 9-1-1?!”
Lisa and I were only separated by a wall of cubicle some 19 years ago. She was out there pregnant with her first daughter, Renae. We were working overtime some random weekend, there was nobody else in the building. Just the two of us. Green, confused, and definitely foreign to anything motherhood, I was internally terrified. Of course no baby coming on that gray, cold, Fall day. However, I knew from that point on, that I would have the chance to see Renae grow.
“Let’s make some scones now,” with her twinkly eyes and adorable grin, Lisa walks and grabs her mixing bowl she inherited from her husband’s family. I ran my fingers through the ring of the bowl. Feeling the unevenness and imperfections of it. This vessel definitely has had some good productive years. Respect.
The beauty of this scone recipe is that it doesn’t require butter, nor pastry cutter. One less ingredient, one less tool to use. You gotta love that.
Heavy cream is used to replace butter, resulting a moist, yet airy pastry. The hint of sweetness the currant brings, the richness of the cream and the added texture of the sugar sprinkled on top, complete this dead-simple to make scones.
Slather some butter on it, or if you’re impatient like me, enjoy without it. Eat it room temperature, or again, if you’re like me, have a bite of it before it even has a chance to make it to a cooling rack. Have it with tea, coffee, or tea and milk (if you’re feeling fancy.) It’s all good… Enjoy your day, enjoy your friends, and most of all enjoy this delightful goodness. Breathe…
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/₃ cup currants
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- Preheat oven to 425˚.
- In a small dish, cover the currants in boiling water and soak until plump. Meanwhile, combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to mix. Drain the water off the currants and stir them into the dry mixture.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the cream into this well and using a wooden spoon, gently draw the dry ingredients from the edges into the center until the dough is incorporated.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface. Knead by hand, just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball (about 30 seconds). Press the dough into a flat round disk. Cut with a round biscuit cutter.
- Evenly space the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the tops of the scones are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.
