ChatterRecipe of the Month October 2011

Strawberry Scones

Libras are often known to have a sweet tooth, so I could have gone with yet another yummy desert this month, but one of Libra’s favorite things to eat happens to be strawberries, so when I found this recipe for Strawberry Scones in one of my Ina Garten “Barefoot Contessa” recipe books, it seemed a perfect fit. She says, “In a world where most scones are like hockey pucks, this (recipe) is light and moist. We use all kinds of fruit fillings, including raisins, fresh cranberries, and dried cherries (yum!). The key to flaky scones (pay attention now) is not to over-blend the butter.”

Ingredients
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon Flour (All-Purpose)
2 tablespoons Sugar (plus additional for sprinkling)
2 tablespoons Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Salt
¾ lb Butter (un-salted, cold & diced)
4 Eggs (extra large & lightly beaten)
1 cup Heavy Cream (cold)
¾ cup Dried Strawberries (small-diced)
Egg-Wash (1 extra Egg beaten together with 2 tablespoons Water or Milk)
Parchment Paper

Recipe
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a “paddle” attachment, combine 4 cups of Flour, 2 tablespoons of Sugar, the Baking Powder and Salt. If you do not have an electric mixer, then use a large mixing bowl and combine the dry ingredients together. Blend in the cold Butter at the lowest speed and mix until the Butter is in pea-sized chunks. If you are doing this by hand, use a large dinner knife or pastry cutter and cut the Butter into the dry mixture until it also resembles pea-sized chunks. Combine the Eggs and Heavy Cream and quickly add to the Flour-and-Buttermixture. Combine until just blended – DO NOT OVERMIX! Toss the diced Dried Strawberries in a tablespoon of Flour (to stop them from sinking) before adding them to the dough, and again mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough to ¾ inch thick. You should see lumps of Butter in the dough – this is fine. Cut the dough into 4-inch squares, and then in half again diagonally to make triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with Parchment Paper. Brush the tops of the scones with Egg-Wash, sprinkle with a little Sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked. Be careful not to overcook them either! Makes 14 to 16 large scones.