When it comes to preserving the English tradition of Afternoon Tea, few places do it better than 'The Savoy' in London. It is a tradition that began in 1880's and continues to date.
I must have been but 11 years old on my first visit to London and the few things I do remember with clarity are Madame Tussuad's, driving past Buckingham palace & Afternoon Tea at The Savoy.
It was my first time partaking in this genteel British tradition and though I cannot recall in vivid detail what music the pianist was playing or the color of the china & the table linens in The Thames Foyer, I do remember the taste of my first scone (pronounced scawn) & clotted cream and I was hooked!
The blame for my idiosyncrasies when it comes to food must lie squarely on the shoulders of my parents - they exposed me to the good stuff, much to young!
Since then, I have been addicted to Tea Rooms and no matter what continent , country or town I'm in, if there's a Tea Room, you can count on me being there, all in search of that perfect scone (and English Breakfast or Earl Grey). Sadly for most part, I have been disappointed.
After all what makes a scone perfect? Some say flaky, some say tender - Yes, yes but you expect that in a tart too!
The singular most important attribute in my book for a perfect scone is that it must be airy & feather light!
So I was delighted when I found the near perfect scone at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA and whether it was for my baby showers, birthday or visit from a dear friend, Tea at the Jefferson was always on the agenda.
Which is why, when this sunny weekend afternoon when I pulled my first batch of Orange Cream Scones out of the oven, I stood there with bated breath as Mr. Hubby took his first bite. And I was almost afraid to ask -
"Well, compared to the Jefferson?"
And he said, "Infinitely superior"
Needless to say, my squeal of delight probably woke all the neighbors up from their afternoon naps.
I have been working on preparing the perfect scone for a long time. And though some would day they aren't really the traditional scawn since I do mine a as drop scones, I'd have to say, don't diss it until you've take a bite.
So here we are ~ 'as good as The Savoy' scones at home!
Now traditionally, scones have red currants or raisins and I've fixed them both ways. But my absolute favorite are these here with citrus peel -
So get that cooking apron and pull up those oven mitts dearie , we've got some scones to bake!
Preheat the oven to 425 deg F.
Gather the ingredients,
all-purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt, unsalted butter, heavy cream, sour cream, eggs & orange zest
Place the ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt & softened unsalted butter in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
On the lowest setting blend till the flour & butter is well mixed. It will be crumbly like soft breadcrumbs.
Empty the contents to a large mixing bowl. Using a zester, zest the orange peel of 2 oranges into a bowl. Transfer the rind to the flour butter mixture.
Cook's Note - Do not grate into the white pith or the scones will be bitter. Keep turning the oranges for uniform grating.
In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs with a fork till it is blended. Add the eggs, heavy cream & sour cream to the flour. With a rubber spatula, begin to fold the mixture.
This is very important - do not over mix. STOP as soon as the mixture is blended. Over working the dough makes awful scones.
Line a 11" x 17" baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick baking spray.
Using clean hands, take a 2" piece of dough and gently place on the baking tray. Pat down till the scone dough is about 1/2" thick.
Place the scones in rows, not touching each other and about an inch apart if you can manage it.
In a separate bowl, beat an eggs with 1 tbs water, using a fork till blended.
Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the top surface of the scones and set aside for 10 minutes.
Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Do not allow the scones to over-brown.
Set aside to cool slightly. Serve warm with Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry preserves.
If you have left over scones and wish to serve them the next day, preheat the oven to 350 deg F and warm for 5 minutes.
The first aroma that hit me when I took the hot scones out of the oven was the scent of oranges. The scones smell wonderful and taste even better. They are airy & light and melt-in-your mouth perfect. Aah & wait till you load them up with clotted cream & the jam....it doesn't get much better than this!
Isn't it amazing how sometimes we look high & dry for something and to our complete astonishment find it in our very own corner!
Recipe for
ORANGE CREAM SCONES
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking Time - 15 minutes
Serves 4-6, Makes 10 large sconesShopping list:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 + 1/8 cup softened unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 to 2 tsp grated orange rind
Egg wash
1 egg
1 tbs water
Preparation:
Orange rind - Using a grater, grate the orange peel of 2 oranges into a bowl. Transfer the rind to the flour butter mixture.
Eggs - In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs with a fork till it is blended.
Egg wash - In a separate bowl, beat an egg with 1 tbs water, using a fork till blended.
Method:
Preheat the oven at 425 deg F.
Place the ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt & softened unsalted butter in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
On the lowest setting blend till the flour & butter is well mixed. It will be crumbly like soft crumbs.
Empty the contents to a large mixing bowl.
Add the grated orange rind, beaten eggs, heavy cream & sour cream to the flour. With a rubber spatula, begin to fold the mixture.
This is very important - do not over mix. STOP as soon as the mixture is well blended. Over working the dough makes awful scones.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick baking spray.
Using clean hands, take a 2" piece of dough and gently place on the baking tray. Pat down till the scone dough is about 1/2" thick.
Place the scones in rows, not touching each other and about an inch apart if you can manage it.
Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the top surface of the scones and set aside for 10 minutes.
Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Do not allow the scones to over-brown.
Set aside to cool slightly. Serve warm with clotted cream and strawberry preserves.
Enjoy!
