Showing posts sorted by date for query Scones. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Scones. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Wicked cold weather here in Nova Scotia today, but I expect it is the same everywhere. You would expect nothing less at this time of year in Canada. Actually, Winter has been slow in coming this year, so we really don't have a lot to complain about.
I love days like this, when the wind is blowing fiercely outside my front door, whipping the snow back and forth in a frenzy, but I am tucked up all warm and cozy inside with my two pussy cats and the fire burning. It doesn't matter to me that it's not a real fire. It's an electric fire. The feeling is the same. It's flames flicker and they warm my heart.
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
This is the kind of day I love to do some baking. I am not sure why that is. Perhaps it is the act of puttering and homemaking that do my heart good, or maybe it is knowing that at the end of all of my efforts I will be able to sit down in my comfortable chair with a hot drink and enjoy the tasty fruits of my labors.
My thinking cap goes on and before too long I find myself dragging out the flour and sugar bins and taking the butter out of the fridge. I love the clicking nose my oven makes as I turn it on to preheat. That, too, always holds the promise of something tasty to come.
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
Today I decided to make some scones. Fresh Ginger Scones filled with Lemon. They are some of my favorite scones of all. The recipe is an old one which I have had for well over 20 years.
I adapted the original recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook entitled, Eat and Lose Weight. Somehow the idea of eating scones filled with lemon curd doesn't equate with the idea of losing weight, but, nevertheless, it has always been one of my favorite scones to bake.
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
As far as scones go, they are pretty much the same as other scone recipes. The dough is a tender dough, which might be a bit lower in fat than other scones, but it is moistened with buttermilk, light and flaky.
What sets these scones apart from other scones is that they are double layered scones, filled with a lush rich filling of lemon curd. You can use a good, purchased lemon curd, or you can make your own. I have a great recipe here to do just that.
Today I used a good jar of lemon curd that I bought at a British Supply shop. Wilken & Son's Lemon Curd. Oh boy it is some good. The next best thing to homemade.
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FRESH GINGER SCONES FILLED WITH LEMON
The ingredients may not be simple everyday ingredients, but a quick trip to the shops should take care of that.
- 2 cups (280g)plain flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup (80g) butter
- 2/3 cup (160ml) fat free buttermilk (may need a bit more)
- 1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
- 1/2 cup (approx 165g) prepared lemon curd
- demerara sugar (turbinado) for sprinkling on top, if desired
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
Use the best lemon curd that you can afford to buy or make your own. Both work well. I am inclined to think you could actually use any kind of jam in these tasty scones. Just be careful not to overdo any of them as your scones will not cook properly inside if they are too damp.
You can make your own buttermilk substitute by whisking together 1 TBS of white vinegar or lemon juice with the amount of milk required. Set aside to clabber. Another way to make it is to whisk together equal parts of plain yogurt and milk. I use the full fat options of each.
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
HOW TO MAKE FRESH GINGER SCONES FILLED WITH LEMON
These are very simple to make so long as you follow a few rules of thumb. Keep your ingredients cold, and don't overhandle the dough. Also don't be tempted to overdo the lemon curd filling or you will have a blowout of lemon curd when they are baking.
Pre-heat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment.
Place the flour, sugar. salt, and baking powder in a bowl, whisking well together. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until it is well rubbed in, and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in the gingerroot and mix in well. (A fork does a good job of this.)
Stir in the buttermilk until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball. If your dough is too dry, then add a bit more buttermilk. It should be a shaggy dough.
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple of times to bring together. Divide the dough in half.
Place half of the dough on the cookie sheet and pat out into a 7-inch circle. Spread the lemon curd over top, up to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the circle.
Pat the other half of the dough into another 7-inch circle and place over top of the lemon curd. Gently pinch the edge to seal.
Brush the top with a bit more buttermilk and then sprinkle demerara sugar evenly over top. Lightly score the surface of the dough into 8 wedges, being careful not to cut all the way through to the lemon curd.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the top and bottom and cooked through.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve. Serve warm with your favorite hot drink!
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
I prettied these up by dusting a bit of icing sugar over the tops when I served them. Oh, I know, there is only me in the house, but I think I still deserve pretty things, don't you?
I don't think anyone will ever be able to accuse me of pretentious presentation. You always get what you see. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don't. Most times I am in too much of a hurry, wanting to dig into what I have cooked to spend a lot of time on presentation. It's one of my many weaknesses.
These are so delicious. It's hard to believe that they are lower in fat than most scones. I enjoyed mine with a nice hot cup of lemon, ginger & honey herbal tea. How will you enjoy yours?
.JPG "Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon")
Some other tasty recipes using lemon curd on here in The English Kitchen are: (Just so you don't waste any of it.)
LEMON CURD COOKIES - These lush and buttery shortbread cookies are flavored through and through with lemon from the inside out. Crispy edged and dimpled with lemon curd centers, they are real lemon winners! If you love lemon as much as I do, you will love these.
LEMON CURD DRIZZLE CAKE - This is my absolute favorite of all the lemon cakes that I bake. No surprise there! It is moist and delicious and crammed full of lovely lemon flavor.
Yield: 8
Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min
You can make your own lemon curd for these, or use purchased lemon curd. There are some very good ones out there. Make sure you let the finished scones sit for several minutes before you cut them apart to eat. Hot lemon curd can really burn. These are lovely and, as far as scones go, are relatively low in fat. They're delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) plain flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup (80g) butter
- 2/3 cup (160ml) fat free buttermilk (may need a bit more)
- 1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
- 1/2 cup (approx 165g) prepared lemon curd
- demerara sugar (turbinado) for sprinkling on top, if desired
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment.
- Place the flour, sugar. salt, and baking powder in a bowl, whisking well together. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until it is well rubbed in and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the gingerroot and mix in well. (A fork does a good job of this.)
- Stir in the buttermilk until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball. If your dough is too dry, then add a bit more buttermilk. It should be a shaggy dough.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple of times to bring together. Divide the dough in half.
- Place half of the dough on the cookie sheet and pat out into a 7-inch circle. Spread the lemon curd over top, up to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the circle.
- Pat the other half of the dough into another 7-inch circle and place over top of the lemon curd. Gently pinch the edge to seal.
- Brush the top with a bit more buttermilk and then sprinkle demerara sugar evenly over top. Lightly score the surface of the dough into 8 wedges, being careful not to cut all the way through to the lemon curd.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the top and bottom and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve. Serve warm with your favorite hot drink!
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!!
I saw this recipe for 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits on Pinterest the other day and I was immediately intrigued. The recipe differed slightly from my regular 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit recipe in that it used frozen butter, not chilled.
I have adapted this recipe, to include metric measurements from one which I found on Divas Can Cook.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
Let me tell you before anyone gives me any grief, these are North American Biscuits, rather than British Biscuits.
In the UK, the word biscuit is used to describe a cookie. In North America, the word biscuit is used to describe a quick bread, similar to, but not exactly like a scone.
And yes, I know this is the English Kitchen. You will find a great many British recipes on this blog. I am also an North American, as are most of my readers, and so you will also find a great many North American recipes on this blog. You will just have to deal with it.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
I am sorry if this is confusing to some people. I refuse to call these scones because they are not scones. There is a huge difference between the two things.
First of all in the manner in which they are put together. In biscuits the fat is cut into the flour. In scones the fat is rubbed into the flour.
Secondly, scones tend to be sweeter and are meant to be eaten cold, usually with cream and jam. Biscuits are more on the savory side and are meant to be eaten hot or warm, usually buttered and sometimes, but not always, with honey.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
I have never used frozen butter to make a biscuit before. That was quite a new thing for me. The original recipe called for a stick of butter, which is half a cup. I didn't have sticks, so I just measured out half a cup on the full blog and grated to the line.
You do what you need to do. I also stirred the frozen butter into the flour as I went. Somehow cutting it in after grating it seemed to defeat the purpose of using frozen butter. Just my way of thinking I guess.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
You really do only need three simple ingredients!
- 2 cups (280g) self-rising plain all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup (120g) frozen butter (plus more for brushing)
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
I always make up my own self-raising flour. Most British cakes use self-raising flour. I make it up, four cups at a time. Its very easily done.
For each cup of flour, simply whisk in 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. It works exactly the same as commercial self-raising flour.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
You can also make your own buttermilk if you don't have any. There are two ways of doing this. For the first way, measure 1 TBS of white vinegar or 1 TBS of lemon juice into a measuring cup. Add the amount of milk needed, give it a whisk and leave it to clabber for 5 to 10 minutes.
The second way is a matter of whisking together equal parts of plain full fat yogurt and full fat milk to give you the amount of milk needed. This is my preferred method.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
HOW TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
The grating of the butter is a little bit fiddly, but for the most part these are very easy to make. Just work as quickly as you can so that you can get them into the oven while the butter is still very cold.
Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Line a quarter sheet pan with baking paper. set aside.
Measure your flour into a bowl. Quickly grate the frozen butter into the flour, stirring it in with a fork as you go, until it is well mixed in. (Don't work too hard at it as y0u don't want the butter to melt.)
Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix together to a soft dough with a spatula.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to pull together. Pat out and fold back on itself twice.
Pat out to a rectangle 1 inch thick.
Using a sharp (3 inch round) metal cutter, cut out four biscuits. Place onto the baking tray.
Re-pat the scraps and cut out 2 more biscuits. Place on the tray.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Brush the tops with some butter and bake for 2 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven. Brush with some more butter, allowing it to soak in. Give the hot biscuits a final brush with some butter and serve.
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
As you can see these turned out nice and light and fluffy and rose very tall. They were delicious. I had one with my bowl of soup for my supper and it went down a real treat!
The re-cuts were a bit wonky, but re-cuts usually are! It's to be expected!
.JPG "3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits")
Some other biscuit recipes (quick bread not cookie) on here that you might enjoy are:
EASY 7-UP BISCUITS - These delicious biscuits use only four ingredients, a baking mix, some sour cream, 7-up soda pop and butter. That's it. Easy peasy. You can use a commercial baking mix, or you can make up your own baking mix. I tell you how.
CHEDDAR, BACON & CHIVE BISCUITS - Fabulously tasty, light, flakey, peppery, stogged with rich strong cheddar and are beautiful served alongside of savory things like soups, stews, salads, etc. I will go out on a limb here and tell you they are also nice spread with butter and honey, only because I have done that and they were delicious, but then again, taste is a very individual thing is it not?
Yield: 6
3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 14 MinTotal time: 24 Min
Flaky, tender and light as air. Quick and simple to make simple, these biscuits are fabulously delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) self-rising plain all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup (120g) frozen butter (plus more for brushing)
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Line a quarter sheet pan with baking paper. set aside.
- Measure your flour into a bowl. Quickly grate the frozen butter into the flour, stirring it in with a fork as you go, until it is well mixed in. (Don't work too hard at it as y0u don't want the butter to melt.)
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix together to a soft dough with a spatula.
- Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to pull together. Pat out and fold back on itself twice.
- Pat out to a rectangle 1 inch thick.
- Using a sharp (3 inch round) metal cutter, cut out four biscuits. Place onto the baking tray.
- Re-pat the scraps and cut out 2 more biscuits. Place on the tray.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Brush the tops with some butter and bake for 2 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven. Brush with some more butter, allowing it to soak in. Give the hot biscuits a final brush with some butter and serve.
NOTES - To make your own self raising flour, whisk together 1 cup (140g) plus 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt for each cup needed.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!!
It was four years ago today we lost our mother unexpectedly. At the time I was living way over in England and had no way of getting home. She had been in hospital, but was doing well. We had no reason to believe that she wouldn't fully recover.
I miss her every day. We were always very close. It still pains me that I was unable to say goodbye properly.
I decided to make myself a picky-bits Teatime Supper today to help distract myself from the nasty weather we are having outside and to cheer me up. Just because I now live alone, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a nice teatime supper ever now and then.
.JPG "Teatime Supper")
This was something I often did when I was in the UK. You don't always feel like making a bit meal do you? Sometimes picky bits are just the ticket for filling that gap! Supper in the UK was always something quite different than dinner.
Supper is meant to be something much more casual than dinner. Supper can be an evening meal but normally when one is invited to supper the invitation is quite different than when one is invited to dinner, which is usually more formal. Supper can also mean a hot or cold snack before bedtime.
It is not meant to be meat, potatoes and veg, but rather a rather informal gathering of picky bits and cakes. Not as formal as a high tea, but meant to be enjoyed on a small plate, next to a fire and, if you are so lucky, enjoyed with some bright conversation and company.
It is a delicious opportunity to gather together some picky bits that you have in house into a simple repast of tasty delights that will please everyone, all washed down with hot cups of tea of course!
.JPG "Teatime Savories")
Of course, any tea table should have a host of savory bits to choose from. These can range anywhere from finger sandwiches to sausage rolls, deviled eggs, savory scones, sliced meats, cheeses, and pickles.
Today I chose to bake some savory scones. Scones don't always have to be sweet and served with cream and jam. They can also be incredibly delicious served with cold meats and pickles.
I chose to make MARY BERRY'S CHEESE SCONES today because they are the best savory scones out there. They are light and fluffy and filled with lovely cheese flavors. I was living in England the last time I baked these! They're beautiful, as one would expect!
.JPG "Cheese & Tomato Sandwiches")
I had some thinly sliced ham as well. Finger sandwiches are also very nice. Some popular flavors are Egg Mayonnaise, Ham and Pickle, Cheese and Pickle, Cheese and Onion, Cucumber and these ones that I chose to make, Cheese and Tomato.
I can remember the first time I enjoyed a Cheese and Tomato sandwich when I was in the UK. It was not a combination I had ever considered but was it ever delicious! Soft white bread was lightly buttered (crusts cut off or not as you please) and filled with grated cheese and thinly sliced tomato.
I baked my own FRENCH SANDWICH PAIN AU LAIT for these sandwiches. I bake a loaf of bread every week anyways, so this week I chose a sandwich loaf. This bread makes beautiful sandwiches.
.JPG "Teatime Supper")
Some things to bear in mind when making Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches. One, make sure you use a really nicely flavored cheddar cheese. I used some cheese that I had leftover from Christmas. It had not gotten used. A two year aged cheddar that was nice and sharp and well flavored.
Grate your cheese by hand on the large holes of a box grater.
Use a serrated knife to cut your slices of ripe tomato thinly, and then leave them to drain on some paper towels for about 10 minutes. This helps to prevent them from making the bread soggy.
Butter both slices of bread. This not only helps the cheese to adhere, but it also keeps the bread from drying out and getting soggy as well.
I add the grated cheese to the buttered side of one slice of bread, top with the sliced tomato, add a grinding of black pepper, and then place the other slice of bread on top, butter side down. Slice as you wish.
.JPG "Teatime Supper")
Something crunchy is also very nice to add to the table. Today I added some sweet mixed pickles and slices of sweet eating apples. Oh, how I miss the pickled onions you get in the UK. They are rather larger than our pickled onions and not so sweet, having been pickled in malt vinegar.
You could do crisp raw vegetable sticks such as carrots and celery, or thick slices of cucumber. Potato Chips/Crisps also go down very nicely if you are so inclined.
Of course, one of the highlights of any supper/tea table is something sweet to end the meal. This can take the form of cakes or cookies, just whatever tickles your fancy really. Today I had a few cakes leftover from Christmas and some small dainties (Queen Anne Slices, date squares, etc.)
.JPG "Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf")
One favorite is the VICTORIAN SANDWICH CAKE. I say that because it is the favorite of all the cakes that I bake. I often choose that to be my birthday cake.
Another favorite choice would be a COFFEE CAKE. By that I don't mean the crumb type of cake that is best served at breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. I mean a delicious buttery coffee flavored cake, filled with a layer of buttercream!
You can't go wrong with either of those.
.JPG "Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf")
Being as I am on my own however, today I chose to bake my favorite Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf. I have been making this delicious loaf for years and years.
The recipe comes from the pages of my Big Blue Binder. I can't tell you where I copied it down from, but I can promise you that it is moist and chocolately and delicious!
.JPG "Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf")
It is beautiful cut into thick slices and enjoyed with a hot cup of tea, or coffee for that matter. It's also very nice served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Rich and fudgy with a beautiful chocolate flavor. Simply put, it's delicious and something I think you and your family will really enjoy!
Yield: 8 - 10
.JPG "Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf")
Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MInactive time: 24 HourTotal time: 25 H & 25 M
Rich, moist and very chocolatey. A real longtime favorite of mine.
Ingredients
- 6 TBS Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 3/4 cup (180ml) boiling water
- 1/2 cup (120g) of butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) of soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 medium free-range eggs
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (60g) of full fat sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F. gas mark 3. Butter a 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf pan and line with baking paper.
- Combine the water and coffee powder. Allow to cool. Stir in the sour cream. Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, soda and salt.
- Beat the butter together with the brown sugar. Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet, beginning and ending with dry. Mix well together. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until risen and the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool ten minutes in the pan before tipping out to cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap tightly once cooled and let stand overnight before cutting.
Notes
You can also fold in up to 3/4 cup (170g) of semi sweet chocolate chips.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons