My love for scones is endless. I think it ties in well with my love for DC and beautiful Spring weather.
The other day I took a walk through my favorite neighborhoods and soaked in how awesome it is to be back from Iraq. I met up with friends, I made plans for more meetings with more friends, I snapped pretty pictures and swooned over the abundance of color. I didn’t realize how colorful my life was until I ended up in a beige place for eight months.
But now I’ve got greens and blues and oranges and purples and yellows and reds beckoning me from all directions.
Sticks of butter also beckoned me from my fridge, so I responded with scones. Scones flecked with the brightest colors I had in my kitchen.
– Citrus-flecked Scones – adapted from a recipe found on Marzipan Mom
Makes 12 scones
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
zest of one lime and one orange
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (cold) buttermilk (or mix 1 tbsp white vinegar + 1 scant cup milk)
1 tbsp strawberry puree + 1 cup powdered sugar (optional for strawberry glaze)
– Pulse the lime and orange zest with the sugar in your food processor. If your zest is in small pieces to begin with, you can skip this step. The processor not only cuts down bigger peels, but it also marries the citrus flavor with the sugar, giving the finished product a more even and vibrant flavor.
– Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and zest+sugar mixture.
– Cut in the cubes of chilled butter (or pulse in your food processor) until the whole mixture has a uniform texture of course meal.
– (Let the mixture rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes if you think it may have gotten too warm. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 425 F as well.)
– Pour the cold milk into the cold flour+butter mixture and bring it together into a loose, somewhat sticky dough in as little movement as you can handle.
– Shape the dough as you wish, or just drop pieces of dough onto a silpat or greased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until bottoms turn medium brown. The tops may not brown too much, but be careful not to burn the bottoms.
– As an additional burst of fruit and color, puree a couple strawberries (dilute with a bit milk if needed) and mix with powdered sugar to make a fluorescent pink glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the scones once they’ve cooled for about 15 minutes.
– Eat your scones and enjoy Spring!
