“How can I find the words? Poets have taken them all and left me with nothing to say or do.”
“Except to teach me for the first time what they meant.”
-Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, Dorothy Sayers: A Busman’s Honeymoon
I’m not one for using expletives much in my day-to-day, but I must admit this past Monday a very loud one flew out of my mouth as my twitter notifications lit up my phone. Somehow, I had won the Reader’s Choice portion of the Saveur Food Blog Awards for Baking and Desserts. I’m not going to lie to you, I’m still pinching myself. It’s a huge honor, a dream come true, and I have you to thank. All you wonderful, lovely readers who took the time to cast a vote my way, thank you so much.
I share the category with the amazing Izy from Top With Cinnamon (who won Editor’s Choice), and I am excited that in just over a month I get to meet her, along with so many other favorite bloggers.
But in the meantime, scones! My family went out Monday night to celebrate with dinner, but I just had to bake something, too. Mixed berries, crème fraîche, and lavender seemed like a good combination, and they might be my favorite scones to date. The berries are tart, the lavender subtle, and the crème fraîche smooth and dreamy, rounding everything out. A perfect way to start the day.
Also, a few things:
-Michael Jackson. Amazing.
-Great writing advice, all in one place.
-The Office Stare Machine.
-I can’t wait for Kimberley’s new book! And, Erin’s too!
-I’m now contributing over at Wit + Delight! You can check out my first post, for Strawberry-Basil Smoothies.
-I also have Chocolate Sugar Cookies up on Handmade Charlotte.
Mixed Berry Scones with Crème Fraîche and Lavender
adapted from Ina Garten and Cooks Illustrated
I’ve been making scones the same way for years – an adaption of Ina Garten’s Strawberry Scones from her first cookbook. However, I recently made Cooks Illustrated’s blueberry scones and loved their technique of grating the butter and folding the dough over to create layers. I decided to try it out with my scone recipe, and, it was so good! And, I’ll never go back! So here’s my version of things. You can watch this video if you need help shaping the scones (the recipe will be different, but the technique the same).
I only used the lavender sugar in these scones, and the flavor was very light. I suggest adding a tablespoon of chopped lavender for a bit more taste, but be careful, because too much lavender make the scones taste soapy. I used lavender leaves, but dried buds will also work here. If you don’t have crème fraîche, you can substitute sour cream (I like to add a tablespoon or two of milk to the sour cream if using, to loosen it up just a bit).
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp lavender sugar (recipe follows), or more to taste (if your berries are very tart, for instance)
1/2 tsp salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
1 tablespoon chopped lavender (see headnote)
heavy cream for brushing
1-2 tablespoons lavender sugar for sprinkling
Position a rack in the center of the oven and the preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, baking powder, lavender sugar, salt, and chopped lavender (if using) together in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, vanilla, and eggs. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box cutter and add it to the flour mixture. Toss with your fingers until the butter is evenly coated. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, and dust the top of the dough with flour. Knead the dough 6 to 8 times, until it resembles a ragged ball (add more flour if it is sticking too much).
Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12 inch square. Fold the dough in thirds (a business letter fold). Lift the short ends of the dough and fold into thirds again, making a 4 inch square. Transfer dough to a baking sheet or plate dusted with flour, and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Bring the chilled dough back to your floured surface, and roll into a 12 inch square again. Sprinkle the mixed berries over the dough, then press them down gently into the dough. Using a bench scraper, loosen the dough from the surface, and roll it into a cylinder (roll it like a jelly-roll log to help incorporate the berries). Roll the cylinder so it is seam side down, and then press into a 12 by 4 inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the baking sheet.
Brush the tops with a little heavy cream and sprinkle them generously with lavender sugar. Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Lavender Sugar
This recipe makes much more than is needed, but think of all the lovely things you could do with this sugar! {Sprinkle on muffins, use in pie or tart dough, stir in some hot chocolate or coffee…}
1 spring lavender leaves
1 cup sugar
Place the lavender and sugar in a food processor, and process until leaves are chopped so small they look like green crystals in the sugar. Refrigerate sugar for up to three weeks.