London 2013: Afternoon Tea at The Wolseley

How perfect is that tier of tea-time treats? It was with that delightful afternoon tea that we finished our weekend in London.

The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly
London W1J 9EB
United Kingdom
Ph: +44 20 7499 6996
Website


I must admit I hadn't heard of The Wolseley before this trip, but when my friend Clarice suggested "a proper high tea at The Wolseley (Nigella's fave!)" in our pre-trip emails, I was totally down! I made a booking online for the Sunday afternoon, thinking that it would be a nice way to round off the weekend before catching the Eurostar back to Paris. Due to the timing, we actually had to go to the train station directly from The Wolseley, and rocked up with our coats, mini-suitcases and shopping bags (including lots of great stuff from a mad-dash through nearby Fortnum and Mason just beforehand). We'd been worried that this might cause an issue, but the staff very kindly put all our bags in the cloakroom for us when we arrived, and we were free to relax and enjoy the afternoon.

The main dining area

For some reason I had been expecting a very old-fashioned, twee setting, so was suitably impressed by the beautiful, expansive art deco space. The Wolseley serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and more - there was an American lady at a table near us, who refreshed herself with a Cosmopolitan while her young grandson, dressed in a smart blue blazer, ate chips out of a silver bucket - too cute! And we also saw plates of choucroute garnie being ferried around by waiters, which looked and smelled amazing.

However, we were most certainly there for afternoon tea! Their Full Afternoon Tea is priced at £22.50, which gets you a pot of tea, and a tier of fruit scones, cakes and sandwiches, all made in-house. (See the picture at the top of this post). I splashed out and got a glass of champagne for an extra £10.

I loved the teapots and the pretty silver accessories!

Tea, Champagne

Of course, when you have scones, you must have cream and jam. Here, it was an indulgently thick clotted cream, and a luscious, very softly set, strawberry jam.

Jam and cream

I just had to take a picture and show you how thick the cream was. Heaven.

Clotted cream

We started from the bottom up, saving the best for last. The scones were kept warm under the pretty silver cloche - a great idea.

Sandwiches

Before I took the photo, my first instinct was to remove that little piece of red paper that was stuck on it, but then I thought that it would be better to present the experience "warts and all". (Not that a tiny red bit of paper is a "wart" by any means, but I'm sure you catch my drift). From memory, the sandwiches on offer that day were: cucumber (naturally), smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken and pesto, egg, and celery. Normally I don't like raw celery, but here it was sliced so finely that I actually enjoyed it! The sandwiches were all exceedingly fresh, with lovely soft bread.

Now, the dessert tier!

Cake tier

Clockwise from the front we have: eclair, pistachio and cherry "opera", cheesecake, Battenberg cake, Sachertorte, and a strawberry tart. All were delicious, and I loved the freshness of the choux pastry in the eclair. (So disappointing when you get stale choux pastry!) And whilst Sachertorte can sometimes be dry and bland, the Wolseley's version was moist, dark, and rich. The standout item on this tier was, however, the cheesecake. Being one of the plainer-looking cakes, I wasn't expecting much, but boy, it was good! The filling was incredibly rich and creamy, with just the right amount of cream cheese tang, and the biscuit base was crunchy and pleasantly firm, without a hint of sogginess. Absolute cheesecake perfection. (I don't know if they sell the cheesecake by the slice, but if they do - go, go, go!)

And finally (yes, we were getting full, but we persevered) we indulged in the scones. I found it interesting that they only served fruit scones and no plain ones, but given that I prefer fruit ones anyway, I wasn't complaining. The judicious use of dried fruit here ensured that you got a hint of sweet dried fruit, without it becoming overpowering. (Clarice, who loathes puddings based on dried fruit, like mince pies and Christmas cake, still liked these).

Fruit scones

You can see how perfect they look (aah, if only my scones had such smooth tops and were so uniform in shape!), and happily they tasted just as good. Warm, fluffy innards, with crisp, almost biscuity exteriors. I loved them.

Scones with cream and jam

And that's the last post for this London weekend! After this delicious tea, we took the Eurostar back to Paris, where more culinary adventures ensued. Can't wait to share them with you!

I hope you enjoyed by posts about London; here they are in a list!

• A Foodie Weekend in London
• Ottolenghi Notting Hill
• Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• Nopi

How perfect is that tier of tea-time treats? It was with that delightful afternoon tea that we finished our weekend in London.

The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly
London W1J 9EB
United Kingdom
Ph: +44 20 7499 6996
Website


I must admit I hadn't heard of The Wolseley before this trip, but when my friend Clarice suggested "a proper high tea at The Wolseley (Nigella's fave!)" in our pre-trip emails, I was totally down! I made a booking online for the Sunday afternoon, thinking that it would be a nice way to round off the weekend before catching the Eurostar back to Paris. Due to the timing, we actually had to go to the train station directly from The Wolseley, and rocked up with our coats, mini-suitcases and shopping bags (including lots of great stuff from a mad-dash through nearby Fortnum and Mason just beforehand). We'd been worried that this might cause an issue, but the staff very kindly put all our bags in the cloakroom for us when we arrived, and we were free to relax and enjoy the afternoon.

The main dining area

For some reason I had been expecting a very old-fashioned, twee setting, so was suitably impressed by the beautiful, expansive art deco space. The Wolseley serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and more - there was an American lady at a table near us, who refreshed herself with a Cosmopolitan while her young grandson, dressed in a smart blue blazer, ate chips out of a silver bucket - too cute! And we also saw plates of choucroute garnie being ferried around by waiters, which looked and smelled amazing.

However, we were most certainly there for afternoon tea! Their Full Afternoon Tea is priced at £22.50, which gets you a pot of tea, and a tier of fruit scones, cakes and sandwiches, all made in-house. (See the picture at the top of this post). I splashed out and got a glass of champagne for an extra £10.

I loved the teapots and the pretty silver accessories!

Tea, Champagne

Of course, when you have scones, you must have cream and jam. Here, it was an indulgently thick clotted cream, and a luscious, very softly set, strawberry jam.

Jam and cream

I just had to take a picture and show you how thick the cream was. Heaven.

Clotted cream

We started from the bottom up, saving the best for last. The scones were kept warm under the pretty silver cloche - a great idea.

Sandwiches

Before I took the photo, my first instinct was to remove that little piece of red paper that was stuck on it, but then I thought that it would be better to present the experience "warts and all". (Not that a tiny red bit of paper is a "wart" by any means, but I'm sure you catch my drift). From memory, the sandwiches on offer that day were: cucumber (naturally), smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken and pesto, egg, and celery. Normally I don't like raw celery, but here it was sliced so finely that I actually enjoyed it! The sandwiches were all exceedingly fresh, with lovely soft bread.

Now, the dessert tier!

Cake tier

Clockwise from the front we have: eclair, pistachio and cherry "opera", cheesecake, Battenberg cake, Sachertorte, and a strawberry tart. All were delicious, and I loved the freshness of the choux pastry in the eclair. (So disappointing when you get stale choux pastry!) And whilst Sachertorte can sometimes be dry and bland, the Wolseley's version was moist, dark, and rich. The standout item on this tier was, however, the cheesecake. Being one of the plainer-looking cakes, I wasn't expecting much, but boy, it was good! The filling was incredibly rich and creamy, with just the right amount of cream cheese tang, and the biscuit base was crunchy and pleasantly firm, without a hint of sogginess. Absolute cheesecake perfection. (I don't know if they sell the cheesecake by the slice, but if they do - go, go, go!)

And finally (yes, we were getting full, but we persevered) we indulged in the scones. I found it interesting that they only served fruit scones and no plain ones, but given that I prefer fruit ones anyway, I wasn't complaining. The judicious use of dried fruit here ensured that you got a hint of sweet dried fruit, without it becoming overpowering. (Clarice, who loathes puddings based on dried fruit, like mince pies and Christmas cake, still liked these).

Fruit scones

You can see how perfect they look (aah, if only my scones had such smooth tops and were so uniform in shape!), and happily they tasted just as good. Warm, fluffy innards, with crisp, almost biscuity exteriors. I loved them.

Scones with cream and jam

And that's the last post for this London weekend! After this delicious tea, we took the Eurostar back to Paris, where more culinary adventures ensued. Can't wait to share them with you!

I hope you enjoyed by posts about London; here they are in a list!

• A Foodie Weekend in London
• Ottolenghi Notting Hill
• Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• Nopi

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones

It's a  sunny Sunday morning in May and I'm sitting under the dappled light of the maple trees beside our backyard patio. As I listen to the birds in the trees and sip my morning coffee, I also get to enjoy one of these wonderful warm Buttermilk Blueberry Scones, fresh from the oven.

Plenty of sweet blueberries fill these scones, so I've cut the sugar in this recipe back to  a bare minimum. The buttermilk keeps them nice and moist with crispy, buttery edges. What a relaxing way to start a Spring Sunday morning.

Makes about 6 large or 12 small two inch scones.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a food processor, blend together

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Pulse in

• 1/3 cup  very cold salted butter, cut in small cubes

Do not over incorporate the butter into the flour. Similar to making a flaky pastry, small pieces of butter should be visible in the flour. 

Transfer this mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl. Toss in:

• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Make a well in the center. Pour in

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Working very quickly with a wooden spoon, fold the dry mixture through the buttermilk, only until the flour disappears, then stop immediately. Drop the sticky dough onto a well floured counter top or bread board. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour as well as flouring your hands to handle the dough. I don't even use a rolling pin for these scones, the dough is soft enough to pat it out gently with floured hands to a thickness of about 1 & 1/2 inches. Using a sharp 2 inch biscuit cutter cut the scones out an place them about 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I recommend aluminum baking sheets because they tolerate the higher oven temperature without burning the bottom of the scones.

Alternatively, instead of using a biscuit cutter, just form the dough into a round and cut it in wedges like a pie. This is often my preferred method because you don't have to re-roll the scrap dough.

If you like you can brush the tops with an egg wash made from whisking together:

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the tops of the scones  are evenly golden brown. Delicious served warm with Honey Butter.

Honey Butter

Honey butter is simply honey beaten into plain butter in a 2 to 1 ratio of butter to honey.

• 1 cup butter (not margarine or other horrible butter substitutes)
• 1/2 cup honey

Beat together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones

It's a  sunny Sunday morning in May and I'm sitting under the dappled light of the maple trees beside our backyard patio. As I listen to the birds in the trees and sip my morning coffee, I also get to enjoy one of these wonderful warm Buttermilk Blueberry Scones, fresh from the oven.

Plenty of sweet blueberries fill these scones, so I've cut the sugar in this recipe back to  a bare minimum. The buttermilk keeps them nice and moist with crispy, buttery edges. What a relaxing way to start a Spring Sunday morning.

Makes about 6 large or 12 small two inch scones.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a food processor, blend together

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Pulse in

• 1/3 cup  very cold salted butter, cut in small cubes

Do not over incorporate the butter into the flour. Similar to making a flaky pastry, small pieces of butter should be visible in the flour. 

Transfer this mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl. Toss in:

• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Make a well in the center. Pour in

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Working very quickly with a wooden spoon, fold the dry mixture through the buttermilk, only until the flour disappears, then stop immediately. Drop the sticky dough onto a well floured counter top or bread board. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour as well as flouring your hands to handle the dough. I don't even use a rolling pin for these scones, the dough is soft enough to pat it out gently with floured hands to a thickness of about 1 & 1/2 inches. Using a sharp 2 inch biscuit cutter cut the scones out an place them about 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I recommend aluminum baking sheets because they tolerate the higher oven temperature without burning the bottom of the scones.

Alternatively, instead of using a biscuit cutter, just form the dough into a round and cut it in wedges like a pie. This is often my preferred method because you don't have to re-roll the scrap dough.

If you like you can brush the tops with an egg wash made from whisking together:

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the tops of the scones  are evenly golden brown. Delicious served warm with Honey Butter.

Honey Butter

Honey butter is simply honey beaten into plain butter in a 2 to 1 ratio of butter to honey.

• 1 cup butter (not margarine or other horrible butter substitutes)
• 1/2 cup honey

Beat together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Date Scones

Date scones

I hope everyone is having a good Anzac day! I haven't made (or even eaten!) any Anzac biscuits this year, but felt that these scones were appropriately Australian enough to share with you on this special day for our country. Enjoy!

Every time I make scones, I say it's an improvement on the time before (see the start of this post for Sarah's Scone Saga), and I'm pleased to say this time was no exception! I made these particular scones on a lazy weekend morning (Easter Monday actually), when I wanted a sweet, treat of a breakfast, without having to leave the house or change out of my PJs.

I based the recipe on Belinda Jeffrey's Fluffy Buttermilk Scones, from Mix & Bake, but scaled it down significantly, used all self raising flour (no wholemeal), and replaced her suggested buttermilk with a mixture of Greek yogurt and milk. I've tried this recipe before, two and a half years ago, and they were definitely better this time. Not only were they smoother thanks to the lack of wholemeal flour, but they also seemed less flat because I cut them nice and small (I used a 4.6cm scone cutter). I also added dates this time, and they were fantastic! Turns out I prefer fruit scones to plain ones! The little pops of sweetness are just so delicious! Who knew?

Dough

I patted out the dough onto a sheet of baking paper, rather than directly onto my kitchen bench. As much as I love being in the kitchen, my most loathed kitchen task is cleaning a bench after having rolled out dough or pastry on it. It's the worst!

Scone dough, patted out

Scone dough

Using the baking paper also makes it easier to lift the delicate scones, without tearing or ripping them.

Scone cutter

And see all those dough scraps on the baking paper? It's so much easier to just shake the paper over the bin, getting rid of them, rather than painstakingly scraping and scrubbing and wiping the kitchen bench. (You can also reuse the baking paper - bonus!)

I didn't glaze them this time, but you could definitely do the double-egg yolk glaze if you were so inclined.

Ready for baking

And ta-dah! Scones! Some recipes say to cover them with a tea towel after they're baked, to trap the steam and keep them soft, but I never do this because I love a crunchy-topped scone.

Baked scones

I was so pleased with these scones! See? So fluffy on the inside!

Fluffy!

Ordinarily I love scones with jam and cream, but sadly the cream I had in the fridge had gone off. So it was butter and blueberry jam. (I would have gone to the shops for cream, but you know, PJs).

Scones

Fluffy innards with dates

Scones

Scones

Date Scones 
Adapted from the Buttermilk Scones in Belinda Jeffery's Mix and Bake

Ingredients 
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
40 grams cold butter, cut into small cubes
50 grams dried dates, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon plain or Greek yogurt
Approx. 110 ml milk

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the chopped dates and mix to distribute evenly through the flour mixture.
Place the yogurt into a measuring jug, and pour in enough milk to come up to the 125 ml (1/2 cup) mark. Mix with a fork or small whisk to combine. Pour the yogurt/milk mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine.
Tip the mixture onto a sheet of baking paper, dust lightly with flour and pat into a rough rectangle of about 4 cm thickness. Cut out scones using a small cutter (mine was 4.6 cm in diameter), dusting it with flour each time. Cut straight up and down, not twisting the cutter. Place the scones close together on a lined baking tray.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked when tested with a skewer.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so before eating. Serve with butter, cream, jam, honey, or whatever you like. I had mine with butter and blueberry conserve and they were dee-licious.
Makes 12

Date scones

I hope everyone is having a good Anzac day! I haven't made (or even eaten!) any Anzac biscuits this year, but felt that these scones were appropriately Australian enough to share with you on this special day for our country. Enjoy!

Every time I make scones, I say it's an improvement on the time before (see the start of this post for Sarah's Scone Saga), and I'm pleased to say this time was no exception! I made these particular scones on a lazy weekend morning (Easter Monday actually), when I wanted a sweet, treat of a breakfast, without having to leave the house or change out of my PJs.

I based the recipe on Belinda Jeffrey's Fluffy Buttermilk Scones, from Mix & Bake, but scaled it down significantly, used all self raising flour (no wholemeal), and replaced her suggested buttermilk with a mixture of Greek yogurt and milk. I've tried this recipe before, two and a half years ago, and they were definitely better this time. Not only were they smoother thanks to the lack of wholemeal flour, but they also seemed less flat because I cut them nice and small (I used a 4.6cm scone cutter). I also added dates this time, and they were fantastic! Turns out I prefer fruit scones to plain ones! The little pops of sweetness are just so delicious! Who knew?

Dough

I patted out the dough onto a sheet of baking paper, rather than directly onto my kitchen bench. As much as I love being in the kitchen, my most loathed kitchen task is cleaning a bench after having rolled out dough or pastry on it. It's the worst!

Scone dough, patted out

Scone dough

Using the baking paper also makes it easier to lift the delicate scones, without tearing or ripping them.

Scone cutter

And see all those dough scraps on the baking paper? It's so much easier to just shake the paper over the bin, getting rid of them, rather than painstakingly scraping and scrubbing and wiping the kitchen bench. (You can also reuse the baking paper - bonus!)

I didn't glaze them this time, but you could definitely do the double-egg yolk glaze if you were so inclined.

Ready for baking

And ta-dah! Scones! Some recipes say to cover them with a tea towel after they're baked, to trap the steam and keep them soft, but I never do this because I love a crunchy-topped scone.

Baked scones

I was so pleased with these scones! See? So fluffy on the inside!

Fluffy!

Ordinarily I love scones with jam and cream, but sadly the cream I had in the fridge had gone off. So it was butter and blueberry jam. (I would have gone to the shops for cream, but you know, PJs).

Scones

Fluffy innards with dates

Scones

Scones

Date Scones 
Adapted from the Buttermilk Scones in Belinda Jeffery's Mix and Bake

Ingredients 
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
40 grams cold butter, cut into small cubes
50 grams dried dates, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon plain or Greek yogurt
Approx. 110 ml milk

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the chopped dates and mix to distribute evenly through the flour mixture.
Place the yogurt into a measuring jug, and pour in enough milk to come up to the 125 ml (1/2 cup) mark. Mix with a fork or small whisk to combine. Pour the yogurt/milk mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine.
Tip the mixture onto a sheet of baking paper, dust lightly with flour and pat into a rough rectangle of about 4 cm thickness. Cut out scones using a small cutter (mine was 4.6 cm in diameter), dusting it with flour each time. Cut straight up and down, not twisting the cutter. Place the scones close together on a lined baking tray.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked when tested with a skewer.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so before eating. Serve with butter, cream, jam, honey, or whatever you like. I had mine with butter and blueberry conserve and they were dee-licious.
Makes 12

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cherry Spice Scones

Cherry Spice Scones

Spouse came up with the idea for these scrumptious scones last weekend. She is a big fan of all things spice and when I wondered about a new idea for our weekend brunch scones, she noted that we didn't have a spice scone version. I thought about adding raisins as the fruit in these scones and I'm sure that would be awesome too but I decided to use up the last of my frozen cherries instead. The scones turned out beautifully and filled the house with early morning spicy scent; what better way to start a weekend morning.

Cherry Spice Scones

I start the scone dough in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cut in:

• ¾ cup very cold butter, cubed

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

Mix together:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. When the flour is almost incorporated, fold in:

• 1 1/2 cups pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)

Frozen cherries work well too because they are less delicate and easier to incorporate into the scone dough It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 large scones. The baking time will likely be longer when using frozen cherries.

Cherry Spice Scones

Spouse came up with the idea for these scrumptious scones last weekend. She is a big fan of all things spice and when I wondered about a new idea for our weekend brunch scones, she noted that we didn't have a spice scone version. I thought about adding raisins as the fruit in these scones and I'm sure that would be awesome too but I decided to use up the last of my frozen cherries instead. The scones turned out beautifully and filled the house with early morning spicy scent; what better way to start a weekend morning.

Cherry Spice Scones

I start the scone dough in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cut in:

• ¾ cup very cold butter, cubed

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

Mix together:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. When the flour is almost incorporated, fold in:

• 1 1/2 cups pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)

Frozen cherries work well too because they are less delicate and easier to incorporate into the scone dough It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 large scones. The baking time will likely be longer when using frozen cherries.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mango and Cream Cheese Scones

Mango and Cream Cheese Scones

 As many f you know, in this house we love our scones at weekend brunches. We have featured many different varieties in the past. You can check out our other great recipes for scones, biscuits and lots of other brunch ideas by clicking here.

As often happens, because I despise waste in the kitchen, this particular recipe was simply inspired by a couple of ingredients that needed to be used up quickly. Some mangoes in the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter were at their peak ripeness and a half block of cream cheese left over from some stuffed French toast a few days before needed to vacate the fridge. The cream cheese adds wonderful richness to the scone dough and is an idea I will definitely be incorporating into future scone recipes. A steaming cup of tea or coffee and one of these beauties warm from the oven, what a splendid way to start a weekend morning.

I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

Makes 12 large scones.

In a food processor, combine:

• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Cut in:

• 1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese, cut in cubes

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

• 2 cups diced ripe mango

Mix together:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk ( you can use undiluted evaporated milk for extra richness if you like)

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 large scones.

Mango and Cream Cheese Scones

 As many f you know, in this house we love our scones at weekend brunches. We have featured many different varieties in the past. You can check out our other great recipes for scones, biscuits and lots of other brunch ideas by clicking here.

As often happens, because I despise waste in the kitchen, this particular recipe was simply inspired by a couple of ingredients that needed to be used up quickly. Some mangoes in the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter were at their peak ripeness and a half block of cream cheese left over from some stuffed French toast a few days before needed to vacate the fridge. The cream cheese adds wonderful richness to the scone dough and is an idea I will definitely be incorporating into future scone recipes. A steaming cup of tea or coffee and one of these beauties warm from the oven, what a splendid way to start a weekend morning.

I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

Makes 12 large scones.

In a food processor, combine:

• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Cut in:

• 1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese, cut in cubes

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

• 2 cups diced ripe mango

Mix together:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk ( you can use undiluted evaporated milk for extra richness if you like)

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 large scones.

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It's Candy Bar Week! Snickers Scones!

Shelly, Kristan, and I are declaring this week CANDY BAR WEEK!!!  I'm not sure if that makes it official, but I plan on marking it on my calendar for years to come.

I started thinking about the fact that breakfast really gets the short end of the stick in candy bar consumption.  Poor breakfast.  No wonder everybody skips it.

So, I bring you....Snickers Scones.

Not like those hard scones that can be used to hammer in nails (don't get me wrong; I like those, too), these scones are light and fluffy.  Don't be put off by the candy bar name...they're not super rich and they pair beautifully with a bowl of fruit and a cappuccino.

A perfectly balanced breakfast. ;)

Also, this is a great excuse to stock up on that 50% off Easter candy. (Not that you need an excuse.)

Snickers Scones

for the scones:
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 TBSP salted butter, frozen
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped Snickers, frozen

for the topping:
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon shortening
Snickers, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.

Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater.  Stir into the flour until well coated.

Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Pour into the flour/butter mixture and stir until combined (the dough will look very shaggy).  Fold in the chopped Snickers.

Scoop the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into an 8" circle.  Use a floured bench scraper to cut into 8 wedges.

Place the wedges 1/2" apart on a baking sheet.  If any Snickers are poking out of the dough, push them back in to avoid the caramel oozing and burning while baking.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden.  Remove from the baking sheet and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

While the scones are cooling, make the topping.  Melt the chopped chocolate and shortening in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second intervals.  Stir after each interval until melted.  Use a spoon to drizzle over the scones.  Sprinkle on the chopped Snickers.

Candy bars for breakfast.  If it's wrong, I don't want to be right.

OK...now GO over to Kristan and Shelly's blogs.  Like, right now.  Not only are they two of the funniest and sweetest and coolest girls I know, they also work magic in the kitchen.

Kristan is making Heath Bar Salted Caramel Brownie Trifles...oh. my. word.
Shelly is making Homemade Take 5 Bars...are you kidding me?!?

Be sure to come back  for more CANDY BAR WEEK!!!

---

Shelly, Kristan, and I are declaring this week CANDY BAR WEEK!!!  I'm not sure if that makes it official, but I plan on marking it on my calendar for years to come.

I started thinking about the fact that breakfast really gets the short end of the stick in candy bar consumption.  Poor breakfast.  No wonder everybody skips it.

So, I bring you....Snickers Scones.

Not like those hard scones that can be used to hammer in nails (don't get me wrong; I like those, too), these scones are light and fluffy.  Don't be put off by the candy bar name...they're not super rich and they pair beautifully with a bowl of fruit and a cappuccino.

A perfectly balanced breakfast. ;)

Also, this is a great excuse to stock up on that 50% off Easter candy. (Not that you need an excuse.)

Snickers Scones

for the scones:
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 TBSP salted butter, frozen
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped Snickers, frozen

for the topping:
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon shortening
Snickers, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.

Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater.  Stir into the flour until well coated.

Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Pour into the flour/butter mixture and stir until combined (the dough will look very shaggy).  Fold in the chopped Snickers.

Scoop the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into an 8" circle.  Use a floured bench scraper to cut into 8 wedges.

Place the wedges 1/2" apart on a baking sheet.  If any Snickers are poking out of the dough, push them back in to avoid the caramel oozing and burning while baking.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden.  Remove from the baking sheet and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

While the scones are cooling, make the topping.  Melt the chopped chocolate and shortening in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second intervals.  Stir after each interval until melted.  Use a spoon to drizzle over the scones.  Sprinkle on the chopped Snickers.

Candy bars for breakfast.  If it's wrong, I don't want to be right.

OK...now GO over to Kristan and Shelly's blogs.  Like, right now.  Not only are they two of the funniest and sweetest and coolest girls I know, they also work magic in the kitchen.

Kristan is making Heath Bar Salted Caramel Brownie Trifles...oh. my. word.
Shelly is making Homemade Take 5 Bars...are you kidding me?!?

Be sure to come back  for more CANDY BAR WEEK!!!

---

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Blackberry Lime Buttermilk Drop Scones

Blackberry Lime Buttermilk Drop Scones

These scones are rustic yet somehow elegant in their own way. They do look quite pretty on a pure white plate and were exceptionally appreciated at our weekend brunch.

They are quite simple to make with no rolling or cutting, the dough is just dropped in large spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking pan. The only real tick is to make sure you are extra gentle with the dough so as not to break up the delicate blackberries. When I add the liquid to the dry ingredients, i just use a rubber spatula and keep folding and scraping the bottom of the bowl so as to sort of toss the ingredients together gently with as little kneading of the dough as possible.

I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• zest of two limes, finely minced

Cut in:

• 1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

Mix together:

• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a rubber spatula, only enough to form a dough ball.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 - 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your scones. This recipe makes about 12.

Blackberry Lime Buttermilk Drop Scones

These scones are rustic yet somehow elegant in their own way. They do look quite pretty on a pure white plate and were exceptionally appreciated at our weekend brunch.

They are quite simple to make with no rolling or cutting, the dough is just dropped in large spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking pan. The only real tick is to make sure you are extra gentle with the dough so as not to break up the delicate blackberries. When I add the liquid to the dry ingredients, i just use a rubber spatula and keep folding and scraping the bottom of the bowl so as to sort of toss the ingredients together gently with as little kneading of the dough as possible.

I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• zest of two limes, finely minced

Cut in:

• 1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

Mix together:

• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a rubber spatula, only enough to form a dough ball.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 - 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your scones. This recipe makes about 12.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Scones, Biscuits and Teabuns, 21 Sweet and Savory Recipes

Scones, Tea Buns and Biscuits; we have both sweet and savory recipes for brunch ideas, main courses, hors d'ouevres, desserts or just the perfect little treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
Our family always made plenty of raisin, orange  and coconut tea buns to freeze for the holiday season, so many of these recipes will be perfect for your freezer and warmed a few at a time on those cold winter mornings. What could be better with some real dairy butter melting into them?
Always freeze tea buns, scones and biscuits as soon as they are cooled down out of the oven and reheat them wrapped in aluminum foil in a moderate oven and they will be almost as good as fresh baked. The microwave just doesn't cut it when it comes to warming up these tender, delicious morsels.

Here's our list:

Strawberry Shortcake Scones

Lemon Raisin Scones

Cherry Coconut Scones

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

No Sugar Added Raisin Scones

Cheese and Herb Scone Breakfast Sandwiches

Blueberry Oatmeal Scones

Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Biscuits

Partridgeberry Orange Scones

The Best Buttermilk Biscuits & Honey Butter

Signal Hill Blueberries for Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler

Savoury Biscuits

Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

Coconut Tea Buns

Raisin Tea Buns

Strawberry Orange Shortcake

Easy Peach Shortcakes

Bakeapple White Chocolate Shortcakes

Strawberry Shortcake Sundaes

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Cheese, Garlic and Herb Scone Club Sandwiches

Scones, Tea Buns and Biscuits; we have both sweet and savory recipes for brunch ideas, main courses, hors d'ouevres, desserts or just the perfect little treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
Our family always made plenty of raisin, orange  and coconut tea buns to freeze for the holiday season, so many of these recipes will be perfect for your freezer and warmed a few at a time on those cold winter mornings. What could be better with some real dairy butter melting into them?
Always freeze tea buns, scones and biscuits as soon as they are cooled down out of the oven and reheat them wrapped in aluminum foil in a moderate oven and they will be almost as good as fresh baked. The microwave just doesn't cut it when it comes to warming up these tender, delicious morsels.

Here's our list:

Strawberry Shortcake Scones

Lemon Raisin Scones

Cherry Coconut Scones

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

No Sugar Added Raisin Scones

Cheese and Herb Scone Breakfast Sandwiches

Blueberry Oatmeal Scones

Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Biscuits

Partridgeberry Orange Scones

The Best Buttermilk Biscuits & Honey Butter

Signal Hill Blueberries for Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler

Savoury Biscuits

Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

Coconut Tea Buns

Raisin Tea Buns

Strawberry Orange Shortcake

Easy Peach Shortcakes

Bakeapple White Chocolate Shortcakes

Strawberry Shortcake Sundaes

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Cheese, Garlic and Herb Scone Club Sandwiches

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Scones

Scones

So, I told you I made scones when we had our superfun weekend in the Yarra Valley, and even though I'm not the greatest scone maker, I was so super pleased with them!  They looked decent and they tasted great. Yay!  I said I'd share the scone story with you, and here it is.

Assembled scone

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I haven't always had the best luck with scones.  (For example: Nigella's free-form scones in Cambridge in 2006; Joanna Weinberg's scones in 2008; Belinda Jeffery's wholemeal buttermilk scones in 2010; and, last year, Nigella's buttermilk scones).  Although I've been fortunate that they always tasted good, they seemed to turn out flat and slopey, or rough and ugly.

However, in April this year I had great success with the banana scones from the Raspberri Cupcakes blog and was very keen to try out her recipe for plain scones - I love that both recipes require you to stir cream into flour, rather than rubbing butter into flour.  Easy!  I also recently saw The Most Perfect looking scones ever on Fanny's impossibly pretty blog: Like A Strawberry Milk, which uses the traditional rub-butter-into-flour technique, but also has a really helpful list of techniques and tips to make perfect scones.  She says you can use any scone recipe you like, but that incorporating her techniques will result in better results.

So, I thought, why not try it?  The measurements and ingredients from Raspberri Cupcakes, and all the techniques from Like a Strawberry Milk!  The combined recipe, adapted from both sources, is included below for your (and my) reference, for the next time I feel like whipping up some fabulous scones!

Prior to the weekend, I packed all my scone-making gear: (plus some extra utensils for other things, hence the tongs!)

And in an uncharacteristic show of being organised, I'd pre-measured out the dry ingredients, so that all I'd need to do on the morning was stir in the liquid ingredients.

Pre-measured dry ingredients

Some of Fanny's tips are the same basic ones you read everywhere - you know, not overworking the dough, not twisting the cutter when you cut out the scones - but there were a couple of extra tips that really, really made these scones awesome!

Here's the dough, gently patted together.

Scone dough, ready for cutting

Cutting out the dough...

Starting to cut...

One of my favourite tips was to flip the scones over once you've cut them out.  See, the top is slightly rough...

...but the underside is pretty and smooth. Such a small tip, but it makes a big difference!

Smooth upside down scones

The other tip I loved was to double glaze the scones with egg yolk.  I've used this technique before on pastry, having learned it at Carême Pastry in the Barossa, and it worked really well on these scones.

Super-golden egg yolk glaze

And here they are, baked!

There were a few slightly slopey ones, cut from the second round of dough, but most of them were nice and even.  Woo-hoo!

They rose satisfactorily, they had smooth tops, they were nice and shiny, they were round, and they were light and fluffy, with a lovely crust.  They were everything I want in a scone!  Super happy scone satisfaction - YAY!

Scones

Recipe adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes and Like a Strawberry Milk

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

150ml single cream

Approx 2/3 cups full fat milk

1 egg yolk, beaten

Method

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre, and pour in the cream, stirring gently to combine with a large palate knife, or other flat bladed knife.  Gradually pour in the milk, gently stirring all the while, until there is enough liquid to form a soft dough.  (You may not need all the milk).

Place dough onto a lightly floured large wooden board, and, working gently, gather the dough together with lightly floured hands until it is just smooth.  (Don't knead or vigorously work the dough, or the scones will become tough).  Pat the dough into a rectangle about 3 cm thick.  Loosely cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Take the dough out of the fridge, and remove the clingwrap.  Cut into rounds using a well-floured 5cm fluted cutter.  Make sure to cut straight up and down, not twisting the cutter.  As you cut each scone, flip it over to reveal the smooth underside, and place close together on a tray lined with baking paper.  Pull the scraps of dough together and continue to cut until all the dough is used up.

Brush the tops with beaten egg yolk (if you have enough time and egg, let the scones sit out for 10 minutes and then glaze again for extra shine!)
Place into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cook through.  Allow to cool slightly then eat with lashings of jam and cream.
Makes 10-12 scones

Scones

So, I told you I made scones when we had our superfun weekend in the Yarra Valley, and even though I'm not the greatest scone maker, I was so super pleased with them!  They looked decent and they tasted great. Yay!  I said I'd share the scone story with you, and here it is.

Assembled scone

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I haven't always had the best luck with scones.  (For example: Nigella's free-form scones in Cambridge in 2006; Joanna Weinberg's scones in 2008; Belinda Jeffery's wholemeal buttermilk scones in 2010; and, last year, Nigella's buttermilk scones).  Although I've been fortunate that they always tasted good, they seemed to turn out flat and slopey, or rough and ugly.

However, in April this year I had great success with the banana scones from the Raspberri Cupcakes blog and was very keen to try out her recipe for plain scones - I love that both recipes require you to stir cream into flour, rather than rubbing butter into flour.  Easy!  I also recently saw The Most Perfect looking scones ever on Fanny's impossibly pretty blog: Like A Strawberry Milk, which uses the traditional rub-butter-into-flour technique, but also has a really helpful list of techniques and tips to make perfect scones.  She says you can use any scone recipe you like, but that incorporating her techniques will result in better results.

So, I thought, why not try it?  The measurements and ingredients from Raspberri Cupcakes, and all the techniques from Like a Strawberry Milk!  The combined recipe, adapted from both sources, is included below for your (and my) reference, for the next time I feel like whipping up some fabulous scones!

Prior to the weekend, I packed all my scone-making gear: (plus some extra utensils for other things, hence the tongs!)

And in an uncharacteristic show of being organised, I'd pre-measured out the dry ingredients, so that all I'd need to do on the morning was stir in the liquid ingredients.

Pre-measured dry ingredients

Some of Fanny's tips are the same basic ones you read everywhere - you know, not overworking the dough, not twisting the cutter when you cut out the scones - but there were a couple of extra tips that really, really made these scones awesome!

Here's the dough, gently patted together.

Scone dough, ready for cutting

Cutting out the dough...

Starting to cut...

One of my favourite tips was to flip the scones over once you've cut them out.  See, the top is slightly rough...

...but the underside is pretty and smooth. Such a small tip, but it makes a big difference!

Smooth upside down scones

The other tip I loved was to double glaze the scones with egg yolk.  I've used this technique before on pastry, having learned it at Carême Pastry in the Barossa, and it worked really well on these scones.

Super-golden egg yolk glaze

And here they are, baked!

There were a few slightly slopey ones, cut from the second round of dough, but most of them were nice and even.  Woo-hoo!

They rose satisfactorily, they had smooth tops, they were nice and shiny, they were round, and they were light and fluffy, with a lovely crust.  They were everything I want in a scone!  Super happy scone satisfaction - YAY!

Scones

Recipe adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes and Like a Strawberry Milk

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

150ml single cream

Approx 2/3 cups full fat milk

1 egg yolk, beaten

Method

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre, and pour in the cream, stirring gently to combine with a large palate knife, or other flat bladed knife.  Gradually pour in the milk, gently stirring all the while, until there is enough liquid to form a soft dough.  (You may not need all the milk).

Place dough onto a lightly floured large wooden board, and, working gently, gather the dough together with lightly floured hands until it is just smooth.  (Don't knead or vigorously work the dough, or the scones will become tough).  Pat the dough into a rectangle about 3 cm thick.  Loosely cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Take the dough out of the fridge, and remove the clingwrap.  Cut into rounds using a well-floured 5cm fluted cutter.  Make sure to cut straight up and down, not twisting the cutter.  As you cut each scone, flip it over to reveal the smooth underside, and place close together on a tray lined with baking paper.  Pull the scraps of dough together and continue to cut until all the dough is used up.

Brush the tops with beaten egg yolk (if you have enough time and egg, let the scones sit out for 10 minutes and then glaze again for extra shine!)
Place into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cook through.  Allow to cool slightly then eat with lashings of jam and cream.
Makes 10-12 scones

reade more... Résuméabuiyad