It’s been a few months since my last
post, but this time I’ve got a legitimate excuse for my absence: I’ve been busy
working on the final stages of my new book, Flavorful:
150 Irresistible Desserts in All-Time Favorite Flavors (Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2015). The official pub date is September 29, but it’s available for
pre-
order now on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble sites. This book was two
years in the making, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. It’s
beautifully designed, and full of great recipes and enticing photos. Here’s one
of the simpler recipes from the book, a tender Blueberry Cornmeal Scone that’s
not too sweet and has lots of berry
flavor. The photos here are not from the
book, they were done specifically for this post by moi (the ones in the book are way better!). These scones are great
on their own and even better served warm with a French or Irish lightly salted
butter.
Blueberry
Cornmeal Scones
From Flavorful: 150 Irresistible Desserts in All-Time Favorite Flavors by Tish Boyle
It’s
difficult to find a good scone
these days, even at respectable bakeries. Most are dry, tough, and flavorless.
The solution is to make your own, using a good recipe and a light touch. These
scones are tender and bursting with juicy blueberries, just right for a weekend
breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack. The yellow cornmeal gives them a
slightly nutty flavor and hearty texture that stands up to the berries, while a
little lemon zest offers a bright note. This recipe makes eight triangular
scones, but you can cut out rounds from the dough if you prefer — just pat the
scraps back together and cut out more scones until you’ve used up all the
dough. I like to eat these with nothing more than a smear of soft Irish butter,
but add your favorite jam and clotted cream, if you like.
1 2/3 cups (221 g/7.8 oz) all-purpose
flour, plus more for
dusting
1/3 cup (58 g/2 oz) yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup (66 g/2.3 oz) granulated sugar
21/4 teaspoons (11 g/0.4 oz) baking
powder
1/4 teaspoon (1.6 g/0.06 oz) salt
11/2 teaspoons (3 g/0.1 oz) finely grated
lemon zest
5 1/3 tablespoons (75 g/2.6 oz) cold
unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and
frozen
for 15 minutes
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (203 g/7.16
oz) heavy cream
1 1/4 cups (160 g/5.6 oz) fresh blueberries
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon
water, for egg wash
Demerara or turbinado sugar, for
sprinkling
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking
sheet with parchment
paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine
the flour, cornmeal,
sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest and pulse until
blended.
Add the butter and process until the mixture forms coarse
crumbs.
Turn the mixture into a medium bowl and form a well in the
center.
Add the cream to the center of the well and, using a
wooden
spoon or rubber spatula, gradually stir the flour mixture
into the
liquid. Add the blueberries and knead the dough very
lightly just a
few times, just until it comes together. Transfer the
dough to a
lightly floured work surface and gently pat it into an
8-inch round.
Using a chef’s knife, cut the round into 8 wedges and
arrange them
on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch
apart.
Brush the scones with egg wash, then sprinkle them with demerara
sugar.
3. Bake the scones for 16 to 20 minutes,
until light golden brown.
Serve the scones warm. Store in an airtight container at
room temperature
for up to 3 days.
