Dreamy Creamy Scones and Tea

I wish  tea time was a tradition that endured from the days of British rule here in the colonies.

Wouldn't it be lovely to stop whatever tragically dull thing you're working on at 4 pm to enjoy a cuppa along with a biscuit, a tiny cucumber sandwich or scone? A moment to reconnect with yourself and whoever else happens to be around?

And since we're fantasizing, how about if the tea was served to you by a white-gloved butler named Nigel, on an antique silver tray, and poured from a pot of fine bone china?
I'd be up for that.

Of course all this daydreaming is due to this morning's royal wedding. Debbie-Next-Door invited my daughters and me over to watch, because she only has sons.
Debbie set up a charming little tea party for us while we admired the gown and Kate's Princess Catherine's poise. Also the hats.

The Bonus Baby breakfasted on strawberries and cream while waiting for the school bus.

And I made the scones.
I searched for a more classic English style scone and found one at Smitten Kitchen.
She always comes through in a pinch, and her photos are ab fab (that's Brit for absolutely fabulous).

These scones were even more delicious than I anticipated and I ended up eating several more than I intended. I had to go for a nice long walk afterwards.

I'm not exaggerating when I say these only took 5 minutes from start to oven. Since I don't have a butler or a cook and must make them myself, this is quite important to note.
The texture is just right - actually creamy and not the least bit dry. The degree of sweetness is also right on. I usually like a glaze on my scones, but I'm glad I didn't add one here. What I did add is some crystallized ginger and candied orange peel. The two flavors complemented each other perfectly.
Just like Will and Kate.

Dreamy Creamy Scones
adapted from Smitten Kitchen


2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3 Tbsps. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

5 Tbsps. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" cubes

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

1/4 cup candied orange peel*

1 cup heavy cream


Preheat oven to 425 and adjust rack so it's in the middle of oven.

Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together.
Add cubes of butter and quickly cut them in using a pastry blender, two knives or your hands, until mixture resembles coarse meal. It's fine if there are still some lumps of butter.
Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork just until dough begins to form.
Transfer dough and all the dry, floury bits in the bowl onto the countertop and knead, using your hands, just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball.
This should only take 10 seconds - over-handling will result in tough scones! Pat dough into an 8" circle (approximately). Using a knife or bench scraper, divide dough into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until scones are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
Enjoy with jam, tea or as we prefer here in the States, coffee.

* I got mine from King Arthur Flour. You could use fresh orange (or lemon) zest instead.

Judy's on Cherry

If circumstances ever find you in the Reading, Pennsylvania area (where we recently spent spring break because of some of our own circumstances), take yourself to Judy's on Cherry  for dinner. It took us four nights to get there, which was a tragic mistake.
In order to save you from wasting time at many of the other mediocre restaurants in the area, I will tell you this: go the first night you're there because you will want to return for any other night you have in Reading (or Wymossing, Sinking Spring or any of the other neighboring boroughs.)

Seriously, this was the best meal we've had in a long time. And it wasn't just relative to all the other meals we'd eaten over the past several days. It was absolute.
These pictures don't do the food justice, so you'll have to trust me on this.

The flatbread that was served before dinner with my glass of wine was perfect - chewy, a little salty, a little crispy with just the faintest bit of olive oil. We devoured the entire basketful in no time

Our appetizer was sauteed Brussels sprouts with fried sage and a truffle cream sauce. You know how I adore Brussels sprouts, and these were cooked perfectly.

Bob chose a pizza for a dinner - big surprise. But not just any pizza. This wood-fired pie was topped with braised short ribs, caramelized onions, fresh jalapenos and fontina cheese. Often pizzas with such heavy toppings turn soggy too quickly. I'm not sure how they managed it, but this one stayed crisp throughout the minute and half it took Bob to scarf it down.

I chose the pasta special (I've been on a carbs kick lately - must have something to do with "circumstances") of pappardelle with asparagus, peas, and snow peas. There was a pea and basil puree holding it all together. The pappardelle was cooked perfectly and the whole dish was the taste of spring we've yet to experience.

The dessert menu was deliciously enticing, but it was already close to 10 pm, and we couldn't manage another bite. (If another basket of flatbread had been offered, I might have forced myself.)

Bob has to go back to Reading next week. I certainly don't envy him the long drive. But I sure am jealous that he's planning on dinner at Judy's again.
I hope he has room for dessert.

Pasta Fit for the Easter Bunny

The calendar might say spring, but the cool weather will not let go here in Maine.
There still piles of snow at the end of my driveway and a cold breeze coming of the water.
Go ahead. Feel sorry for me.
I feel sorry for little Maine girls at Easter time. Every where else girls are dressed in sweet little outfits with shiny white shoes and a pastel cardigan.
More often than not, little girls here have to throw a ski jacket on over their dresses, (which are worn with boots and tight, not mary janes) when hunting for eggs  - in the mud.
Yeah. It's that rough.

The Easter Bunny needs a lot of sustenance when making the rounds in Maine.
I think this simple pasta dish will do the trick. It's creamy and carroty. It's also a cinch to make and nice change from the typical pasta/veggie dish. It would also be delicious with asparagus, which I will try the next time.
The EB will love this dish so much, I'm sure he'll leave me many, many chocolate-coconut eggs.



Pasta with Carrots, Risotto-Style
Saveur.com


8 cups low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

5 Tbsps. butter

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 lb. gemelli pasta, uncooked

8 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and diced

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

salt and freshly ground pepper

14/ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Bring stock to boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low to keep stock hot.

Melt 4 Tbsps. of the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and carrots, stirring often, until pasta is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Add one cup of the stock at a time to the pasta, stirring constantly; wait until almost all the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Continue cooking, stirring and adding stock (you may have some left over) until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 15 minutes. It's important to taste as you go so as not to overcook.

Remove pot from the heat and stir in remaining tablespoon of butter, the Parmesan and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm serving dish, or serve from the pot.

Guest Post by Me, the Bonus Baby

My Mom asked me to do this for her, because she's been quite busy lately.

 So, last week I asked her to bring  the drinks to my math team practice. Well, she forgot. 

We ended up going to the water fountain. She said she would make us a delicious snack to make up for forgetting.

 Last time she made pumpkin bread and everybody loved it. Because of that, I asked her to make pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. She found a good recipe at  Smitten Kitchen, a very fun blog. They came out great! Everybody loved them. The maple flavor wasn't very strong. If you like a stronger maple favor, try adding some maple extract. 

Those cupcakes definitely made up for forgetting.

My Mom, in one of her other posts called me and my Dad math nerds. Let me show you what she means. This is how much of pi I can recite: 3.141592653589. See?