the first nine scones

seattle has been generous in sharing the sunshine; and i'm just getting spoiled with all the full-bloomed sunflowers to celebrate that the summer has finally arrived :D

pike place market has always been my favorite place in seattle. it has all the freshest things: fancy jumbo seafoods, fruits and veggies,  flowers in season. and not to mention delaurenti the italian store that sells all kinds of olive oil, pasta, hams, and the best chocolates; you can also find a good collection of wines and beers (and never forget the ginger beers) on the second floor! across from this amazing shop is one of my favorite newsstands called first & pike news. the history goes way back in time, and you can find many international prints and specialized magazines here. with all the subscription and online services we get today, i still enjoy buying magazines and books at local stores that continue to share and evolve the stories and the loves of this city with changes in time and developments in technologies.

one of my favorite fruits growing up in taiwan! finally see some fresh ones in town yet are too pricey to enjoy :(

thanks to the beautiful weather that is putting me in the mood for baking! and since i've been craving for scones on the day i make the strawberry jam, i bake over the weekend. after finding tons of recipes online and starting to get lost, i then decide to go into my cookbook collection. the kinfolk table is one of the most beautiful cookbooks i've seen so far. and the way they lay out the recipes is just brilliant. they have this concept of introducing different people and what they'd put on the table to welcome their friends and families. by knowing the stories of the persons, the recipes make you feel warm, special, and attached. and i believe that's what food is truly for, besides feeding lives.

so i choose to go with this recipe that features a photographer named alice gao based in the big apple. 

the original recipe is adapted from martha stewart and is to make blueberry scones, but i just use it to make plain scones. 

ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/280 grams) all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

3 tbsp. (1.3 ounces/38 grams) sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

1 tbsp. (0.3 ounce/9 grams) baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. (3 ounces/90 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1/3 cup (80 ml) heaving cream, plus additional for brushing

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

directions

position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. then cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small peas. stir in the lemon zest (and blueberries if you plan to make blubbery scones).

whisk the eggs in a liquid measuring cup until well beaten, then whisk in the cream and vanilla.

stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture with a fork, mixing just until combine. the mixture should look shaggy.

lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour. turn the dough out and knead it just until combined. shape the dough into a 6-inch square. cut the dough into four 3-inch squares, then cut the squres diagonally into eight triangles. 

arrange the scones on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. brush the tops with cream and sprinkle them with sugar. bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. transfer the sheet to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes. 

(Williams, N., & Payne, R. (2013). The kinfolk table: recipes for small gatherings. New York: Artisan.)

instead of making them triangle, i go with the english style and make them round. i also sprinkle brown sugar on the top in substitute of white sugar. my bake time is about 17 minutes, though i feel like the color is not golden enough, i am also worried that they can go too dry if i leave them in the oven longer.

after tasting it, the texture is about right. c and his mom both think that these can use more butter and sugar to elevate the flavors. for the next time, i also feel like adding more vanilla extract to the mixture. the best thing about these scones is the lemon zest that it just magically lifts the smell to your nose and the taste to your mouth. 

but for now, i'm just one happy girl enjoying my homemade scones with strawberry jam :)

recently on my breakfast table