My son is now 20, and I have followed a low-carb diet since his 16th birthday…
By: Sher Hann
About a year ago, I just had to lighten up – or perhaps I should say, load up. I walked into Barnes & Noble for my bone-dry low-fat cappuccino and spotted a cinnamon scone. “Do you want it warm?” asked the attendant. I couldn’t resist. However, at $1.95 a triangle, I thought I could do better. How hard could it be to make scones?
As it turns out, finding a good recipe was very difficult. I tried recipes from the Internet and recipes from my lifetime accumulation of cookbooks. Nothing was as good as that cinnamon scone from B & N/Starbuck’s.
And then I found Rebecca Griffin. A fellow REALTOR®, she was having a broker “lunch” at a her new listing in my old neighborhood. “I came for the scones!” I announced unabashedly as I walked in the front door. And scones they were! Cherry and lemon zest, light and flaky, delicately proportioned, served on ethereal Caspari napkins with unsalted butter! The Golden Triangle found!
I have Rebecca to thank for the recipe that follows. Her scones – and now my scones – are better than those at the Four Seasons Sunday tea, better than those served at an obscure river plantation in Georgetown, SC (where we stopped on a recent vacation) and, yes, even better than Barnes & Noble/Starbuck’s cinnamon scones.
In deference to my husband, I have suggested my gluten-free alteration in parentheses below. Here goes:
· 2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free bake mix with 2-3 teaspoons of xanthan gum added for elasticity)
· 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
· 1 tablespoon baking powder
· 2 tablespoons sugar
· ½ teaspoon salt
· ¼ cup butter
· 2 eggs
· About 1/3 cup milk mixed with cream
Preheat oven to 425°. Grease a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, beat eggs and 1/3 cup milk mixed with cream until blended. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with a fork to make a soft, nonsticky dough, adding more milk or half and half if necessary. Add your choice of dried fruit (raisins, dried cherries, dried blue berries or my favorite – dried orange-flavored cranberries from Trader Joe’s) or lemon zest at this time.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 6 to 8 strokes. Form dough into a flat circle about 1 in high and 11 inches in circumference. Brush with milk and sprinkle with course sugar. With a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut 8 (I make 10, in deference to my low-carb diet) pie-shaped wedges. Carefully transfer the wedges to the baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Do not over-bake!
Remove from baking sheet; serve warm with butter (or clotted cream) and enjoy the perfect scone!
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