Scone Witch

There is an amazing little restaurant in the outskirts of downtown Ottawa called The Scone Witch, which makes scones in more varieties than you can imagine.  Savory scones with ingredients such as fragrant rosemary, cheese and scallions; sweet scones in which are embedded bits of candied ginger and tiny, tangy currants. M and I ate there recently, and our exceptional lunch reminded me of how much I love the decadent and infinitely adaptable pillows of butter and cream.

I have previously only attempted to make scones once – the effort, thought valiant, was somewhat subpar – but this week I decided to try my hand at it again. In browsing the web, a recipe caught my eye, from my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen (featured prominently in many of my posts). The recipe, though not too labor-intensive, took more time than I had anticipated, and M and I ended up indulging quite late in the night. A delicious bedtime snack, no doubt, but also the recipe for a burnt tongue from not letting the scones cool sufficiently. The end result was well worth the wait; crisp on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, these scones showcase how beautifully apples and sharp cheddar play off of each other. The addition of sugar sprinkled on top of the scones was the perfect finishing touch, and added just the right amount of sweetness to bring out the delicate apple flavor. In M’s words, “Hot diggity, those are some mighty tasty scones!”

Apple and cheddar scones

From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

-       2 firm, tart apples (such a Granny Smith)

-       1 ½ cups of flour, plus more for dusting

-       ½ cup of sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling

-       ½ tbsp baking powder

-       ½ tsp salt, plus additional for egg wash

-       ¼ cup of heavy cream

-       6 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into ½ inch cubes, plus more to butter baking pan

-       ½ cup sharp cheddar, shredded

-       2 large eggs

1.     Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking tray with parchment paper; alternatively, butter the tray generously.

2.     Peel and core apples, and cut into 1/16ths (in cubes, not slivers). Place in a single layer on the baking pan, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until slightly golden and dry to the touch. Remove and cool completely (I placed them in the fridge). Leave the oven on.

3.     Whisk flour into a bowl along with salt, sugar and baking powder. Place butter in a second large bowl and add flour; massage in with your fingers until butter is completely incorporated into the flour. Alternatively, use a pastry blender.  Coarsely chop the apples and mix into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon along with the cream, cheese and 1 egg. Mix until the dough just comes together (do not over mix).

4.     Generously flour the counter and turn dough onto it; sprinkle flour onto the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a circle, 1 ¼ inch thick and about 6 inches in diameter. Cut circle into 6 wedges and place on a well-buttered baking tray.

5.     In a small bowl, beat the second egg and a pinch of salt, and brush onto the scone wedges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ tbsp of sugar on top of the scones. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and scones are firm to the touch. Remove from the tray with a spatula and let cool on a wire rack.