We're going to pack all our first-floor furnishings into our kitchen and move in with some friends for two nights. I know when they are done the floors are going to look great, but it means a whole weekend without the kitchen. A whole weekend off from work without a kitchen. There's a lot that I could be doing in there with a whole weekend off...
One of my favourite food blogs is Orangette by Molly Wizenberg. Her photos and writing inspire me all the time. She is a real example of someone who, through shear determination and by staying true to herself, has accomplished the elusive goal of earning a living doing exactly what she loves - thinking, writing, talking about and making food.
A couple blog-posts ago, Ms. Wizenberg wrote about cream scones and their beauty as a breakfast/brunch treat. It inspired me to make some of my own...
These scones are credited to a fabulous recipe in the Cook's Illustrated Baking book. It is, hands-down, the best baking book I own. The recipes are tried and tested, and the result is a list of dos and don'ts, detailed instructions and the best ingredients.
These scones take 20 minutes to throw together and they are delicious. Moist, just cakey enough, flavourful, light, creamy... this recipe makes perfect scones. It's easy to dress them up by adding orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla sugar (instead of granulated sugar), currants, cranberries... maybe my next attempt will be savoury with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil...
Cream Scones Adapted from Baking Illustrated by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees (the first time I made these, 425 proved a little hot in my oven - they got golden real fast and were a little underdone in the centre. I recommend a 400 - 425 degree oven and a slightly longer cooking time).
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Process with six 1-second pulses.
3. Remove the cover of the food processor and distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses. Add any additions (zest, fruit) and pulse once more. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Stir in heavy cream with a spatula until a dough starts to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and any dry flour bits to a workspace and knead by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball.
6. Flatten dough into a rough, wide disk, and cut into wedges. Place wedges on ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake until the tops are light brown, 12 - 15 minutes (or longer if you use a lower heat... keep an eye on them). Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.
These scones keep fairly well in an air-tight container, but definitely taste best the day they're made. As it's rhubarb season, or just the end of it now, rhubarb compote is a lovely spread for these scones. So is a thick layer of butter.
Rhubarb grows in my garden, and it grows like crazy (which I've heard rhubarb tends to do). I've struggled in past years to think of how to use it, and this spring I discovered the versatility of rhubarb compote. Rhubarb compote comes in handy when you are making rhubarb whiskey sours (thank you LCBO Food and Drink magazine for one fabulous idea), in need of a seasonal fruit spread for toast or cream scones, or want to make a quick, light, lovely dessert like this one:
Rhubarb Mascarpone Fool
This is my own recipe, and it's a wing it type of recipe, so bare with me.
I love this kind of dessert because you can whip it up in minutes when you have a sweet craving, because it's light and refreshing, and because it looks elegant but is so easy.
Rhubarb Compote
A good fistful of rhubarb, or more depending on how many you are feeding
Sugar, to taste
A splash of liquid (water, wine, liqour)
1. Roughly chop the rhubarb into small pieces and add to a saucepan.
2. Sprinkle sugar to taste over the rhubarb (rhubarb is tart, so I recommend at least 2 tablespoons).
3. Heat rhubarb and sugar over medium heat, until the sugar starts to melt
4. Add a splash of liquid to de-glaze the pan.
5. Let simmer until rhubarb has softened and compote looks thick and nearly smooth (there will still be softened whole rhubarb in the mix). Take compote off the heat and let cool before refrigerating or using.
Fresh grated ginger is nice added to this compote, so is vanilla. Add to taste with sugar.
Rhubarb Mascarpone Fool
This recipe makes roughly four portions
1 cup room temperature Mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoon Pims or other fruity, fresh, summery liqour
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or half a vanilla bean
16 amaretti cookies
Rhubarb Compote
1. In a large bowl mix Mascarpone cheese with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, a good spoonful of the Rhubarb compote and the Pims with a fork or whisk until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, whip cream with remaining sugar and vanilla (extract or the seeds of the bean).
3. Fold one quarter of the cream into the Mascarpone so that the cheese mixture looks light and fluffy.
4. In parfait dishes, or pretty glass bowls, crumble one amaretti cookie (in each dish).
5. Now start layering your dessert: rhubarb compote, Mascarpone, whip cream, crumbled amaretti cookie; until you've filled the dish. Finish with a small spoonful of rhubarb compote and a crumbled cookie.
The amaretti cookies add a lovely amaretto-flavoured crunch to the dessert and the Pims just seems right with the rhubarb; so English! This dessert is a real winner.
