{DBC} blueberry-lemon scones

I have to admit, I was rather pleased when I read this month's Daring Baker's Challenge recipe. Pleased and also amused, given my anglophilic tendencies as of late, most notably with the release of series 2 of BBC's incredible Sherlock.

[Of which I have gushed about more than enough in all manners of communication possible to a moderately technologically-inclined college student, so I will say nothing here. Except that it remains the best television series ever produced.]

It is not actually the 27th at the moment; in fact, it's the 22nd, but I'm amidst a rather lazy Sunday morning and so decided to take a break from Douglas Adams with a bit of blogging.

As it were, I'm sitting at my desk with headphones humming Rossini and a mug of steaming hot chocolate [a cup of milk heated with a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, a few bittersweet chocolate chips, a splash of cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a pinch of chili powder if I'm feeling particularly daring (which, today, I was not)], watching the first snow of 2012 drifting unassumingly onto car roofs and tree branches, and the whole image is picturesque in a wonderfully pretentious way. But I figure a bit of faux-class on a Sunday morning after a first week of classes was forgivable.

Well, first week for most - one day for me. I've lucked out somewhat this term with my schedule, which leaves me with Wednesdays and Fridays off from class. Had I not had a part-time job [which fills my vacant week days], it would be a dream. But given my habit of spending all of my free time on Amazon.com and fiendish bargain-hunting for clothes online, I'll keep the job. Nevertheless, it's not going to be as lax of a semester as I'd have liked, what with a full load of philosophy seminars and history courses in Spanish [and a course in financial mathematics which I am choosing to pretend does not actually exist]. So I've been trying to fit in as much Hitchhiker's Guide as possible before Avicenna, Aristotle, and Nagel become my literary constants.


It had been going somewhat well until I became distracted by Tina Fey's Bossypants.

Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from the January 2012 Daring Baker's Challenge
Recipe yields 8-12 scones, depending on the size.

For the scones, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 heaping tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 8 tbsp butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup blueberries, either fresh or frozen

For the lemon glaze, you'll need:

• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farhenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and lemon zest and mix thoroughly. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or your hands [or do the entire thing in an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment] until crumbly.

In another small bowl, mix milk, buttermilk, and lemon juice until uniform. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Slowly pour about three-quarters of the milk mixture in the well, and knead the dough. If the dough is too try, add more of the milk. You may not need to use all of the liquid. Once dough is at the proper texture [it should come together, but should not be too sticky], gently add in the blueberries.

Using your hands, roll out biscuit-sized balls of dough and place on the baking sheet, three inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until tops are golden-brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 mins before transferring to a serving plate.

To prepare the glaze, stir confectioner's sugar and lemon juice until the mixture is smooth. The consistency should be thin, but not watery. Add more confectioner's sugar or lemon juice as necessary. Pour the glaze on top of the warm scones and serve immediately.

The DBC recipe as given was for plain scones/biscuits, but I altered the recipe to allow for buttermilk, lemon, and blueberries, and this is the recipe that I've typed up. The texture of these is unbelievable, and the glaze is such an amazing touch. It helps that I am absolutely enamored with scones - they are, in fact, carbohydrates in their most transcendental form - and so I had quite a lot of fun coming up with, what I hoped would be, a fantastic flavor combination. I also did a buttermilk version of my oatmeal-raisin scones from a few months ago, which we ate with a spread of cherry preserves.

The scones were made yesterday afternoon with the help of my darlings Matt and Kyana, who had come to our apartment for an afternoon of Sherlock series 2, which Matt had not seen in its entirety. It was all very posh and adorable, gathered around the coffee table with a basket of scones, an assortment of teas, some quality conversation and theorizing about Moffat, Gatiss, and Thompson's incredible scripts, and Benedict Cumberbatch's unbelievably provocative voice serenading us with superhuman deductions.

[Did I say I was going to shut up about Sherlock? I should also have mentioned that I am an enormous hypocrite.]

If all goes as planned, the weekend of the 27th should be spent with my darling Nitya, who has graciously decided to make the long trek up to our apartment. I anticipate lots of baking and good food. Perhaps some quality television, even a trek downtown for used books. But the food is a given.

It's been a very fine start to 2012, I have to say.

sunday brunch and oatmeal raisin scones

Out of the hundred or so cookbooks I purchased this summer [okay, maybe just 11], I'd have to say one of my favorites is Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles. I mean, I'm already madly in love with Tony's dry, sardonic wit, and to see that so eloquently translated in a cookbook was a match made in heaven. It's not one that I've actually used for recipes yet [I'm not exactly a connoisseur of bistro-style cooking, let alone have hours upon hours to make my own demi-glace], but it's one that I enjoy reading as though it were a novel.

Which, you may know by now, is a quality I think is essential in a good cookbook. Not just recipes, but vignettes. Not just photographs, but memories of places and emotions felt there. Not just cooking tips, but life advice.

And in Les Halles, Tony is brilliant.

[I promise I'm not going to spend this post just propagandizing this book.]

Anyway, the point is, one of my favorite things Tony says is that his book is not going to teach you how to cook.

Well, then, what's the point of buying a cookbook, right?

Well, "to teach you how to love food."

...Or at least, something to that effect, with a little less fluff and a little more cursing thrown in. So I've been trying to look at recipes as more guidelines than actual rules, giving me an idea of proper ratios for flours and baking powders, spices and vegetable stocks, and kind of letting my mind run wild with ideas. Yesterday when Tommy popped by to help with the basbousa, we decided to do some baking for today's Sunday brunch, and settled on one of my favorite treats in the entire world.

Although, crepes filled with butter and sliced strawberries and topped with powdered sugar are a damn-close second.

Scones, of course. Oatmeal-raisin scones, this time. The base recipe comes from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, but has been adjusted to suit my own tastes. The end result was something hearty, not-too-sweet, with a consistency in between that of a scone and a biscuit. Perfect with a slather of butter and a drizzle of honey. And of course, some good company.

Oatmeal-Raisin Scones
Original recipe
Recipe yields 10-12 scones, depending on the size

You'll need:

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 cup of oats
• 2 heaping tablespoons of baking powder
• 2 tbsps sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stick of butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt until well-mixed. Cut in butter until incorporated [you can use your hands here]. In a separate bowl, combine cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Make a well in the middle of the dough and pour in the about two-thirds of the cream mixture. Using your hands, mix the flour and cream mixture until the batter comes together. It shouldn't be sticky; if too wet, add more flour; if too dry, add more liquid [you may not use all the liquid, which is fine]. Finally, add in raisins and give a quick mix with your hands.

Form discs of dough and spread them out across the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops of the scones are light golden-brown. Let cool at 10-15 minutes before serving. Scones are best served warm, but can be kept airtight at room temperature for up to a day. Serve with butter, jam, honey, or clotted cream, as they are not very sweet.

I'd have to say, scones are the best way to start a day. Particularly when paired with amazing crepes, made perfectly by Noosh, and scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, and feta, courtesy of Tommy. I'm thinking this needs to become routine...

What can I say? My friends know how to eat.

Great minds and all that.

lemon-strawberry scones with a side of benedict cumberbatch

I'm not sure if I've divulged this in the past, but I have somewhat of an obsessive personality.

Not in a creepy way, or anything. Rather, when I really like something... I really like it. And want everyone else to like it. And will have it on my mind for days.

In the past 7 days alone, I've sifted through a number of different obsessions. Portal 2, buying cookbooks, taking siestas, LittleBigPlanet [specifically, Sackboy], writing vignettes, organizing and reorganizing, pad thai, pen sketching, the list goes on.

But my latest obsession has been interrupting my thoughts every few hours. It's been causing me to talk to myself in a British accent [yes, I talk to myself, and no, it is not indicative of an underlying issue]. It makes my fingers twitch for Netflix every time I turn on the telly. It makes me use words like 'telly.'

Sherlock. The BBC miniseries, to be precise. It aired last October-November, and I had it on my calendar to watch on Sunday evenings, but for some reason I ended up missing them. I think a combination of midterms, paper-writing, and FFVII was the problem, but it came and went, and I figured I would never again have the opportunity to watch it [legally].

And then, a few weeks ago, I discovered that Netflix in all its glory added the series to its instant queue. So, of course, I added it, and then promptly forgot about it. And then I went to Spain. And came home. And the day before I drove back to my apartment, stumbled upon it while I was browsing Netflix. And vowed to watch it once I was settled in Cville.

And on Monday evening, I hit the play button.

And in no less than 5 minutes, I fell in love.

Lemon-Strawberry Scones
This is an original bakedbeen recipe!
Recipe yields 10-12 scones, depending on the size

You'll need:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp for dusting
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• scant tsp salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, plus 2 tbsp for brushing
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 3/4 cup chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flours, 2/3 cup sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and stir until well-mixed. Cut butter into flour mixture until dough is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Make a well in the center of the dough and pour in 1 cup heavy cream and lemon juice. Using your hands, knead the dough until it comes together in a mass. Add in lemon zest and strawberries, and knead until well incorporated.

Form fist-sized balls of dough and place them evenly across the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 12 minutes, until tops are golden-brown.

Serve scones warm or at room temperature. If desired, drizzle a simple lemon-sugar glaze over the scones, or enjoy with a light scraping of butter or clotted cream.

It helps that I'm obsessed with bromances [this is a rather consistent obsession, unlike some of my more fleeting ones]. I find them charming, and adorable, and hugely entertaining. And so when Guy Ritchi's adaptation came out with two of the most wonderful actors to be depicted as bromantic to ever grace the screen, I was more than happy.

[I was, in fact, ecstatic, and purchased the DVD within the first few days of its release.]


I've always been a fan of Holmes and Watson, but didn't really think anything could trump the Law/Downey Jr. portrayal of the two [their bromance, I should note, since the plot of the film itself left much to be desired], particularly Jude's portrayal of Watson as a competent, loyal partner and physician [contrasting with the less appealing caricature by Nigel Bruce].

That is, of course, until I watched Sherlock. I should have realized that no one could do Holmes and Watson better than the Brits [in terms of both characters, since I realize that Jude Law is, in fact, British]. And, really, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are marvelous together.

Especially Benedict Cumberbatch.

Especially.

I mean, I'm not in love with him or anything.

Just mildly infatuated.

But I can't help it that he pulls of barely-socially-functioning, sociopathic, articulate, curt intellectual so well.

And looks dashing in a suit while doing so.

Like I said. Just a mild infatuation. Not an issue.

So why the scones? Well I've had all-things-English stuck in my for the past few days. And I wanted to come up with a recipe of my own. And I figured it would be a fitting snack during the miniseries finale.

Just as delicious as Mr. Holmes himself.



...did I say that out loud?

pumpkin scones with brown sugar glaze

So, remember when I talked about going to Alice's Tea Cup when I went to New York to visit Nimra? Probably not. But anyway, since I am far too obsessed with baking for my own good, I immediately had to buy the cookbook they just released on the 25th of October. It came in the mail on Thursday, signed [picture me grinning from ear to ear like a fangirl when I saw how two pastry chefs signed my cookbook. yeah, that pathetic], and I was almost late to class because I was skimming through it and admiring all of the colorful photos.

I brought it with me when I came home for the weekend, and decided that I had to try baking some of their famous pumpkin scones with brown sugar glaze. It was, fittingly, the first [and currently, only] thing I ate there when I went with Nimra, and it was divine. Ergo, I ran to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some canned pumpkin and buttermilk, much to mom's dismay, and as soon as I woke up this morning got to work baking.

Pumpkin Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze

For the scones, you'll need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup canned pumpkin [NOT pumpkin pie filling]
• 1 tsp vanilla 

For the glaze, you'll need:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and flour a large baking sheet. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger, and mix at low speed with paddle attachment until well combined. Add in butter, increase speed to medium, and beat until dough has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Using your hands, make a well in the center of the dough. Pour pumpkin, vanilla, and buttermilk into the well. With your hands, mix until dough is wet. It will also be quite sticky.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface and pat down with your hands until it is about 1 1/2-inches thick. Using a 3.5-inch pastry cutter, cut out scones and distribute them evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before dipping in the glaze.

To prepare the glaze, put butter, sugar, lemon, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk as butter melts and sugar dissolves to make sure the syrup is uniform. When the syrup comes to a boil, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Lower heat and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes until glaze starts to thicken. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. If serving immediately, dip the top of the scones into the warm glaze. If not, do not dip the scones; pour glaze into a container and only drizzle or dip the scones in the glaze when ready to serve.

Mom had absolutely no faith in my scone-making ability. She watched me make the dough and told me to just give up and start over, because the dough was 'too sticky' for them to turn out well. Seriously, it was just chastisement after chastisement. Even when they were in the oven, she told me to go check on the 'impending failures.' Though, I have to admit, even I was worried; I wasn't sure how they were going to turn out because the dough did seem much wetter and stickier than I had anticipated.

Still, I persevered, and it was well-worth the uncertainty, because they turned out perfect. 

In fact, Yusra couldn't contain herself and ate two. I myself ate one and a half, they were so irresistible. Even mom had to admit, they were delicious, and I noticed she kept going back to the kitchen to nibble. [HA, mom].

 

Now Yusra wants me to make them on Thanksgiving. Maybe I will, as a sort of pregame for the main event. Which I'm still told is going to be my responsibility.

Oh, the pressure.