I am a huge fan of scones. They are such a lovely treat, especially at the weekend . . . a cross between a pastry and a North American Biscuit . . . there are about as many varieties of scones that you can come with as your imagination can dream up!
Today I baked us some Honey & Date Scones . . . I love dates and I love honey . . . the two have very similar qualities . . . both being sticky and sweet . . .
Dates have a Toffee, almost Caramel-like flavor . . . which is why they are such an integral part of a Sticky Toffee Pudding. They are like nature's candy!
They are lovely in all kinds of baked goods. We love them in cakes and cookies . . . pies even . . . it seemed to be only a natural thing to try them in scones.
I found a recipe on line for Honey & Ginger Scones on What's Cooking America. This recipe has been adapted from that one, adding chopped dates and converting it to British measurements.
I thought the temperature on the original recipe was a bit on the high side, and as you can see my scones got a tad bit dark, however perfectly baked they were. I have reduced the temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Most scones bake well at that temperature.
A few things to remember. Keep your ingredients cold. The butter, the cream . . . you don't want the butter to melt before you bake it or while you are cutting it into the flour. If your ingredients are cold, your scones will rise higher. You may even want to chill your bowl and pastry blender prior to using them.
Don't over work the dough. Bring it together and pat it out with the least amount of handling as possible. You can knead it very gently just a couple of times if necessary to help bring it together. But the most tender and flaky scones come from a dough that has not been overly worked.
When you are cutting them out, use a sharp tapping motion, pushing it straight down and then lifting it straight up. Don't twist the cutter. When you twist the cutter the end result will be lopsided scones.
The flavor will still be excellent, but they won't be as aesthetically pleasing to the eye! So if you are going for something that not only tastes good, but looks good . . . don't twist the cutter!
I had Todd pick up some clotted cream for us to enjoy with the scones. Clotted cream is thick, rich and indulgent with the consistency of soft butter. It is made by heating normal cream to evaporate some of the liquids, and contains at least 55 per cent butter fat, which gives it a pale yellow color that is often topped with a deeper yellow crust.
It has the same Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status as Stilton Cheese and Jersey Royal Potatoes, which gives its name EU-wide protection from potential imitators. Clotted Cream comes from Devon and Cornwall. Anything else is a pretender. I will say that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to make proper authentic clotted cream at home. At best you will only ever come up with something similar, but not the same . . . and if anyone ever tells you anything different, they don't know what they are talking about.
Along with the clotted cream, I served it with some Bonne Maman Caramel for spreading. That and the clotted cream turned these scones into a really wonderfully indulgent taste experience!
Yield: Makes 6 to 8Author: Marie Rayner
Honey & Date Scones
prep time: 15 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 30 minsThese lovely scones are buttery, flaky, flavoured with honey and studded with sticky bits of date.ingredients:
315g plain flour (2 1/4 cups)45g caster sugar (1/4 cup fine granulated sugar)1/4 tsp salt2 1/2 tsp baking powder120g unsalted butter, cut into cubes (1/2 cup)40g chopped pitted dates (1/4 cup)120ml heavy cream (1/2 cup whipping)60ml liquid honey (1/4 cup)1 TBS cream to brush on topdemerara sugar (turbinado) to sprinkle on top
instructions:
Preheat oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set asideMeasure
the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Whisk together.
Drop in the cold butter and then cut it in with a pastry blender. Stir
in the chopped dates. Whisk together the cream and honey. Pour into
the flour mixture and stir together, just to combine. Tip out onto a
lightly floured surface. Knead a couple of times to bring together and
then lightly pat out to a 7 inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut
into rounds using a floured cutter, using a sharp up and down motion.
Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of
cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until
well risen and golden brown. Created using The Recipes Generator
Its very dull and gloomy today . . . these fabulous scones brought a little bit o sunshine into our lives for sure! I hope you will give them a try! Bon Appetit!
