30 October 2008

Breakfasts I Have Known

I've been enjoying baking more now that my apartment is starting to feel like a meat locker.


I realized, though, that I've never posted a recipe for scones, and that's just wrong because they are my absolute favorite breakfast tea accompaniment. These ones were a happy experiment, as I was looking to incorporate more seasonal flavors.

Pomegranate-Ginger Scones
Makes: 8 large or 16 small scones

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
2/3 cup pomegranate seeds
2 ounces chopped crystallized ginger
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing

1. Heat oven to 425°. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a medium-sized bowl. With a fork, mix in the pomegranate seeds and ginger.

2. Make a well in the center and pour in heavy cream, stirring gently until just mixed. Knead a few times in the bowl to form a ball, and place on a lightly floured surface. Pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick, being careful to not overwork the dough.

3. Slice across the circle into triangles. Place on a baking sheet and brush just the tops carefully with the 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

4. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit for at least 15 minutes before eating.

The classic version (for me, that is, not for anyone British) is with 2/3 cup of dried cranberries and 4 ounces of coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate instead of the pomegranate and ginger. It's divine.

I've also been toying around with danishes, notably a Nigella Lawson recipe for a quick, food-processor dough instead of the classic, butter-pounded, endless folding version.


This cheese danish turned out OK, but the dough really was a bit of a disappointment, misbehaving more than a spoiled, golden-haired Scandinavian boy. The filling was delicious (ricotta, sugar, melted butter, a bit of lemon zest), but I need to find a better recipe to enclose it.

I'm afraid it will have to be an authentic puff pastry. That's serious unchartered territory.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The temperature in your apartment is fine!

Teep said...

damn I thought that was quiche and a scrambled egg.

*sobbing*

Camille said...

Your idea for the salad pizza is fantastic. Why didn't I think of that?! I'm definitely putting it on the dinner menu for this week.

Ginger-pomegranite scones sound so good. I was so nervous the first time I made puff pastry. I think the most important thing, which is the hardest for me, is to be very methodical and patient. Good luck when you try to make it!

Penelope said...

scones! scones! feed me scones

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