Bamboo Spoon Awards: Scones

Thank you to all of you for tasting and voting all the delicious Scones made by our CSA members. The "Corn, Scallion & Cheddar" Scone was your favourite by a few votes but they were all so delicious that we want to share all 3 recipes with you. Here they are:

Remember next month is Muffins! Make your own batch using one of our CSA ingredients and deliver them to CGB by 3pm on Aug 20th.

CORN, SCALLION AND CHEDDAR SCONES

(recipe courtesy & made by Licia Bester) makes 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup scallions chopped thinly

1/3 cup corn cooked or frozen

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 cup coarse cornmeal

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, more for rolling out scones + 1 tbs for corn mix

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt divided

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks), + 1/2 tbs for cooking scallions

2 extra-large eggs, + 1 more as an eggwash for brushing the tops

1/2 cup cold heavy cream

1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp aged cheddar

1/2 cup grated parmiggiano cheese, more to sprinkle the tops

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small saucepan sautée the scallions with a little butter just until the butter is absorbed. Add the cayenne, corn and 1 tsp of the salt. Stir together and set aside. Let cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the K paddle stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter and mix on low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently whisk the eggs into the heavy cream and quickly pour it into the flour mixture until just combined, no more.

Add a tablespoon of flour to the cooled scallion corn mix and combine with the grated cheeses. Then fold it into the scone mixture without over-mixing.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle 3/4 inch thick with your floured hands (like a meatloaf). Dip knife in flour before each cut and cut dough into squares and then diagonally to make triangles. Place each triangle on a sheet pan covered with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with a little parmiggiano. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until cooked through. Buon appetito!

Blueberry Streusel Scones

(made by Megan Breaker, recipe courtesy of Stephanie Jaworski, Joyofbaking.com) makes 8

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk or cream and a little more to brush the tops of scones

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

For the Scones: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Gently fold in the blueberries. In a small measuring cup combine the cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (4 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into four pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream or milk.

For the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until crumbly. Top each scone with a teaspoon or two of the streusel mixture. Cover and refrigerate any leftover streusel mixture.

Bake the scones until nicely browned, about 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored for a few days.

CHEDDAR AND CHIVE SCONES

(made by Megan Breaker, recipe courtesy of Whole Foods) makes 12

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk (plus 2 tablespoons for brushing over scones)

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, more for rolling out biscuits

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups grated sharp or aged cheddar, divided

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk and eggs until blended. Stir in chives and set aside. Blend flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a food processor or large bowl. Add cold butter and pulse, or quickly blend with your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Do not over-mix. Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and pulse just to combine. Add milk mixture and process just until moist clumps begin to form.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Cut dough ball in half, then flatten each half into an 8-inch round circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each circle into 6 wedges, as you would cut a pie. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 scone/321g-wt.): 210 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 7g saturated fat, 9g protein, 19g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 1g sugar), 65mg cholesterol, 440mg sodium