Cream Scones

  So today I made scones this morning for my friend, who was just getting home from Minnesota.  My friend and I have an obsession with English literature, more specifically, the book Pride and Prejudice.  We also love tea and scones.  When this obsession began I first decided that it would be good to be able to make them myself.  First time failed.  Second time failed.  Third time may also have failed, I'm not quite sure at this point.

Then, last time, they were perfect and we ate all six of them mostly by ourselves.  Remembering this, I promised my friend that I would make her scones when she arrived back from Minnesota.  Of course, then I learned that she was to be getting her wisdom teeth out soon after her return AND that I wouldn't actually be there the day she got back.

So, it seemed, I would just have to be up very early and make scones to deliver to her house before she arrived.  I got up at 6 this morning and did just that.  They were quite wonderful.

Here is the recipe, from memory, because I don't have it with me:

Cream Scones
The Best Recipe cookbook (from the editors of Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup currants (Used blueberry lemon scone variation in which currants are replaced by an equal amount of fresh or frozen blueberries and a teaspoon of lemon zest is added.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Sprinkle butter over flour and cut into flour until mixture resembles coarse cormeal.  Mix in currants/blueberries and using rubber spatula or wooden spoon mix in cream until just combined.  Turn out onto floured work surface and knead 8-10 seconds to bind together.  Form into a round 3/4 inch thick and cut into 8 wedges.  Bake on middle rack on an ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes.  If desired, one can glaze them by brushing cream on top and sprinkling them with a tablespoon granulated sugar.