I felt like having a scone today with my mid-morning break.  Call it a late brunch as you will, as I didn't really have time for breakfast this morning and I was famished.

I didn't necessarily want to bake a full batch of scones, however. Especially where there is just me in the house.

Oh, I know you can always freeze the extras.  I am a fan of fresh scones, but not so much frozen thawed out scones. You cannot beat fresh when it comes to baked goods.

 

I really love cream scones best of all. There is no having to cut or rub in butter. You just stir in the cream and go.  Easy peasy.

I found a recipe for a small batch of cream scones on One Dish Kitchen.  It looked quite reasonable and so I decided to adapt it with a few ideas of my own.

 

First of all I don't think vanilla has a place in scones, not cream scones anyways, so I left that out completely.  I also didn't feel like raisin/sultana scones.

I did, however, have a nice fresh bag of Zante currants and so I decided to go with them. I also decided that nothing goes better with currants than orange zest and so I added some freshly grated orange zest.

 

Today all over the UK people will be celebrating the Queen's 70th Jubilee with street parties and tea parties. Oh how I miss things like that.  Nobody celebrates like the British!

I have been glued to YouTube these past days watching the celebrations and have been filled with plenty of nostalgia for my adopted homeland.  I truly loved that country and felt very much at home there. I miss it very much, although I am very happy to be living  near my family again.

 

Street parties are a lot of fun!  Whether its to celebrate a Royal Wedding or just to instill community spirit,  the British never miss an opportunity to celebrate  with a traditional street party! 

This weekend millions will be spilling out of their homes and into the streets to enjoy some festive camaraderie and delicious food!

 

Most people will associate the street party with the end of the second world war and VE Day, but street parties actually have a history which goes much further back than that.  

The tradition of the street party actually began in 1919  with so-called ‘peace teas’ being set up between households across the country to mark the end of the Great War.  Originally designed for children it wasn't long before everyone was joining in.

 

There are few things on earth as enjoyable as a nice hot cup of tea and something sweet to enjoy along with it.  Because of my religion I only drink herbal blends. We don't do regular tea or coffee.

 

There are some really lovely herbal blends available today  . . .  more than there have ever been.  You can buy it loose leafed, or in bags . . .  if I am doing a bag, I like the bio-degradable pyramid bags . . .

 

Scones are something I really enjoy with a nice hot cup of tea . . .  they are not hard to make and you can spread them with all sorts . . .  butter, clotted cream, jam, etc.  Hot tea . . .  something sweet.  You cannot beat the combination.

 

People tend to lump North American Biscuits together with Scones, but they are really not the same thing at all.  North American baking powder biscuits generally use all vegetable fat, and sometimes cream . . . scones usually use all butter, and sometimes butter and cream.  The two things are not the same thing at all, no matter how similar they might look.  Scones are sweeter as well, which makes them perfect for enjoying with a hot cuppa.

 

Scones are not all that difficult to make really.  You just need to remember a few basic rules to ensure scone perfection.  The first thing you will want to do is to sift your flour baking powder and salt into a bowl  I find that aerating the flour in this way makes for a lighter scone, and sifting it together with the baking powder and salt ensures that all are mixed together evenly.  I do this from about 6 to 8 inches above the bowl, which really helps the air to get in there.  I also always use self raising flour. You can buy it ready made or make your own. (I give instructions on how to that on the main page.)

 

Make sure your butter is really cold and cut it into cubes quickly.  I just measure it and then using a sharp knife cube it right into the bowl.  Remember you want it to stay as cold as possible. Once you have the butter in the bowl take  your thumb and first two fingers on each hand and rub the butter into the flour using a snapping motion.  When you are done it will look like fine bread crumbs. Its actually okay to have a few larger bits as they will help with the rise also, creating little pockets of air as the butter melts.  It is then that you can take a round bladed knife and stir in the sugar  . . .  and then the milk/buttermilk and any other bits you are adding.  Today these scones are just plain.

 

Pat the dough gently out to a 1 inch thickeness and then using a sharp round cutter, and a straight up and down tapping motion cut out your scones.  This ensures an even rise, without any lop-sides.  I also try to get as many scones as I can from the first cutting.  You can of course bring the scraps back together and cut out more, but do be aware that every subsequent cutting will result in a tougher scone.  I do have an excellent pictorial tutorial here.

  

Today I created a lovely flavoured butter to go with our warm scones.  I did cut the scones out rather small this time, so as to get more., and I brushed the tops with a bit of buttermilk before baking.

This Clementine & Cinnamon Butter is really nice . . .  you can use any leftovers on your toast tomorrow.  Its quick and really simpl to make and the flavour is beautiful.

 

How to Brew The Perfect Cup of Tea 

1. Always use high quality loose leaf tea, and store it in an air-tight container at room temperature. Use 1 rounded teaspoon for each cup you intende to serve.

2. Use freshly drawn water - that way it will contain lots of oxygen to give your tea the best flavour. 

3. Put the tea into a warm pot. Add freshly boiled water to the pot, dump it out and then refill with more freshly boiled water.  Add your tea leaves.  Brew for 3 to 4 minutes, then serve. 

 

See those bubbles on the top of my cup. My mother always called that "money."  She said if you had that in your cup you were going to come into some money.  I like to think that's true.  Mayhap I should buy a lottery ticket . . .