FOOD + ENTERTAINING
Rich Cream Scones
(recipe from Martha Stewart)
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising flour)
2 cups all-purpose flour,
plus more for rolling and cutting
½ cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Salt
1 ½ sticks cold unsalted butter,
cut into small pieces
1 ¼ cups cold heavy cream,
plus more for brushing
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375°. Sift together
flours, sugar, baking powder, baking
soda and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large
bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry
blender or rub in with your fingers.
(The largest pieces should be the size
of small peas.) With your fingertips,
flatten butter pieces into small disks.
Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until butter is very firm, about
20 minutes.
Combine cream and vanilla in a small
bowl, and stir into flour mixture with
a wooden spoon until almost absorbed
and dough just comes together. Turn
out dough onto a lightly floured work
surface; roll out into an 8 x 10-inch
rectangle. With a short side facing
you, fold rectangle into thirds, as you
would a letter. Rotate dough a quarter
turn clockwise. Repeat rolling out,
folding, and rotating dough 2 more
times. With floured hands, pat out
dough to a 1 ¼-inch thickness, and
cut out as many rounds as possible
with a floured 2 ¼-inch round biscuit
cutter. Gather scraps, reroll once and
cut out more rounds (you should have
a total of 12).
Place scones 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops
with cream, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20
minutes, rotating sheets halfway
through. Let cool on sheets. Serve
warm or at room temperature. Scones
will keep, wrapped in plastic, for one day.
To assemble shortcakes:
Cut scones in half. Smear the plate
with a small amount of coulis, place
the bottom of the scone on the plate,
top with whipping cream, then add
macerated berries and the top of scone.
Garnish with mint.
MAY JUNE 2015
63