Sunday, December 07, 2008

Cream Scones and life back to normal

scones


You may think it's a cliche, but time really flies faster when you are having fun. We reluctantly bid our loved ones farewell last Thursday after a 3 weeks vacation in Singapore and Malaysia. The journey back was exhausting, as usual. Both of us walked pass the custom and immigration like zombies, only to come alive when we realized that we had left our carry-on luggage (with both our laptops)somewhere at the immigration check point! Thank God for the TSA staff, who went in to search for us three times, and had it found!

The incident almost costed us our connecting flight back to Atlanta. We were at the gate 10 minutes before its takeoff. Our luggages however, couldn't make it on time. Looking on the bright side, we were happy that someone sent them to our doorstep the next day for only 2 dollars. And that's the tip I gave the guy for carrying them up to my apartment on the second floor. After a 24 hours of flying and transiting, the last thing we desire, is to carry our unbelievably heavy bags up those stairs!

So yes, life is back to normal. I am almost fully recovered from the jet-lag, having slept most of my Friday and Sat away. The coming weeks are going to be super busy around here, there are cookies to be baked, parcels to be sent and some important decisions to be made.

And my first ever giveaway too! I will tell you more about it early next week.

chocolate chips scones

Meanwhile, here's the cream scones I made sometime ago for a friend's house moving. I figured they were easy to eat and provided a delicious source of energy before the physical labor ahead of us.

The cream scones recipe from Alice Medrich is richer than my usual standby, which uses buttermilk as the binding agent. If you are looking for something indulgent for the weekend breakfast or tea time, give this a try.

Making scones by hand is a surprising easy and rewarding experience. If you are making scones for the first time, here's my simple guide to delicate and flaky scones.



Cream Scones with Chocolate Chunks
adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus sugar for sprinkling
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 to 4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, cold
1 tbsp milk or cream for brushing the tops

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Make a well in the center and pour the cream into it. Use a rubber spatula to push the dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl into the well, cutting and turning the mixture just until the dry ingredients are almost entirely moistened and the dough looks rough and shaggy. Gather the dough into a lump and knead it gently against the sides of the bowl five or more times, pressing in the loose pieces, until the dough just holds together (it should not be smooth) and the sides of the bowl are fairly clean.

On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into an 8.5 inch round about 3/4 inches thick.*at this point, I like to cover the dough in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour,before proceeding to the rest of the steps. The dough is more manageable upon chilling. You can also keep the dough for up to 1 month at this stage, and bake it without defrosting first. Just lightly score the dough into 12 wedges, so that it's easier to cut and bake later. *

Cut into 12 wedges. Place them at least 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream or milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on a rack, and serve warm or at room temperature.

11 comments:

Snooky doodle said...

Welcome back home :) glad you managed to solve all incidents you had. These scones are delicious . far more yummy than the ones I usually make :)

Manggy said...

Hah, I was drooling over Bittersweet just last Saturday :) Lovely scones!

Welcome back! Scary thing about your laptops, I'm glad you got them then and there! I would've died of fright!!

Finla said...

Welcomeback and the sconelook delicious.
Yeah not getting ones lugage, oneof the bad things of flying, still good to hear you had a wonderful time with family.

terri@adailyobsession said...

u r home! isn't it amazing, tt we can fly around the world. truly amazing.

was great meeting up with u.i enjoyed the little time we had together :))hi to OCT

Anonymous said...

hey!
welcome back! def believe that you had a great time!
thank you also very much for this recipe! already trying it. the dough is now in the fridge for 1/2 hour and I can't wait to bake and try it!! *mjami*
oh and just want to say that i'm one of ur blog-junkie for mooonths! just can't wait to get a new mail everytime! thanks for all these wonderful pictures and recipes! greetings and hope that you don't have a jet lag anymore! ;)

annina

oh and of course i'll post the recipe on my blog and give credit to you!

bossacafez said...

hello mandy, glad to see u home safely (albeit the "adventurous" incident about yr laptops). it was really great meeting u up, tho' it was a short meetup and i wished we could chat longer =) must meet up again when you're back in sg ya! so you'll get another new prepaid card no. nx time i reckon?

btw the green & black choc u gave me is fantastic! i think the acidity takes sometime getting used to, but the aftertaste is really nice and i like it. thx so much! paiseh never get anything for u :(

Maria said...

Glad you made it back!! The scones look decadent, perfect for a weekend breakfast treat!

RecipeGirl said...

Glad you had a nice trip!

These look like a wonderful breakfast treat. A little chocolate in the morning never hurt anybody!

Deborah said...

I'm glad you made it home safely! I could go for one of these scones for breakfast this morning!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back! Glad you got your laptops back. It's always hectic in airports. Your scones look lovely. With chocolate chops - yum!

Maris said...

I LOVE chocolate chip scones! I am definitely making these this weekend. Scones make for the best lazy-Sunday morning breakfast!

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