Saturday, February 20, 2010

Blogging Scones

So I'm not too sure how long my break from blogging really was, but I hope that this new recipe will help me redeem myself in the food blogger universe.

It has been a fantastic 2010. The year started off with a fabulous trip to Cabo San Lucas... sun, chips, guacamole, beer, chips, guacamole... a working girl could get used to the vacation life. Unfortunately, reality hit with a small cold and piles of work with no end in sight. Fortunately, inspiration arrived in the form of a Culinary Institute of America Breakfasts & Brunches Cookbook which finally provided me with a ham and cheese scone recipe that I plan to stick with all year long.

Although a tad on the sweet side, these ham & cheese scones are perfect for a Sunday brunch. They come out of the oven very moist with tons of flavor from the ham, cheese and scallions. If you aren't a fan of the sweet and savory, you could easily replace the ham & cheese with some fruit of choice - that's why I love this recipe. It's versatile and simple, allowing the chef in the kitchen to take the reins.

Ham & Cheese Scones
The Culinary Institute of America: Breakfasts & Brunches

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup medium-diced ham
1/2 cup medium-diced cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced scallions
2 cups heavy cream.

Preparation
Cut two 10-inch circles of parchment paper. Use one to line a 10-inch round cake pan and reserve the other piece

Scones
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the ham, cheese, and scallions and toss together with the dry ingredients until evenly distributed. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the cream to the mixture and stir by hand jut until the batter is evenly moistened. Place the dough in the lined cake pan and press into an even layer. Cover the dough with the second parchment paper circle. Freeze the dough until very firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it lightly with cooking spray or lining it with parchment paper. Thaw the dough for 5 minutes at room temperature; turn it out of the cake pan onto a cutting board. Cut the dough into equal pieces and place the individual pieces on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake the scones until golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Cool the scones on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Serve scones warm or at room temperature. They are awesome the same day they are made but of course, you may freeze them for up to 4 weeks.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Glad to see WGK is back!