The Most Tender Scones

I'm sure we've all had scones that look and feel like bricks, hockey pucks, bits of cement...with no discernable flavor other than flour. Well that is about to change. I have tried many, many scone recipes, and have pulled the best from all of them to come up with the master of all scones. It's tender, buttery, sweet, and creamy all at the same time. It's just begging for a cup of coffee or tea.

I (when time allows) provide breakfast to my husband's hardworking sales team. Over the past few months time has escaped me, so to all ESI-ers, I owe you a great breakfast.. and here it is.

These scones are incredibly versatile. Below are instructions for making drop scones; I find them less messy to produce. If you would like to make traditional triangle scones (round, cut-out biscuit shaped scones do nothing for me, not sure why), follow the additional instructions at the bottom. For a basic cream scone (my master formula), skip the pears and pecans. Any fruit, dried or fresh, nuts, or chocolate chunks work well in these scones. For savory scones, omit the sugar, and add your favorite herbs, spices, or grated cheese. Crumbled bacon, sharp cheddar, and chives is a favorite combo in my house, they make the most amazing breakfast sandwiches ever.

Caramelized Pear and Pecan Scones

Yield: 12 large or 18 medium scones

Oven: 400F

Ingredients

2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. Brown sugar

1 cup Pecans, coarsely chopped

4 1/4 cups All-purpose flour

2/3 cup Granulated sugar

5 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) Unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup Half and Half (Whole milk may be substituted)

4 Large eggs

2 1/2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Procedure

1. For the pears: Place the 2 Tbsp. butter and the brown sugar in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the pears. Cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the butter and brown sugar have reduced and the pears are golden and tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans. Cool completely.


2. For the scones: Preheat oven to 400F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (no cooking spray needed). Sift together the dry ingredients.


3. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, your fingers, or two knives. Continue cutting until the butter is the size of very small peas. Toss in the pears and pecans.


4. Whisk together the wet ingredients.


5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the wet mixture.


6. Toss gently with a fork until the mixture is blended but still rough and chunky looking (do not overmix!).


7. Using a standard ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of dough and place on paper-lined pans 2 inches apart (they swell quite a bit). Sprinkle with the sanding sugar.


8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Serve within 1 day.
   

Note: scones may be scooped and refrigerated, or frozen and bagged for later baking.

Note: to make triangle scones: dump dough onto a floured surface and give it 3 or 4 kneads, just until it pulls together. Divide in half for 12 scones, or in 3 for 18 scones. Form each portion of dough into a disc, 1" thick. Using a floured knife, cut each disc into 6 wedges. Bake as directed.

Breakfast Club...

Hello all...just thinking up a new breakfast club item for tomorrow morning. I'm thinking... an orange macadamia nut muffin with fresh thyme. I still have oranges and macadamia nuts left from yesterday's macarons, so I think both flavors will really come to life with a little thyme from my herb garden. Pictures to come! Have a great day :)

Orange Macadamia Macarons with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

I am a sucker for all things miniature as well as all things pastry, so to me, french macarons are perfection. I created these on a whim this afternoon (me bored at home always equals a new dessert creation) when I discovered egg whites in the fridge leftover from pastry cream. For correctly made french macarons (not to be confused with coconut "macaroons") you have to use aged egg whites, so today was the perfect day to experiment. I did not have the almonds the formula called for, so I substituted toasted macadamia nuts; not a bad placement in my opinion. I added orange zest to the batter and piped them small enough to be a one-bite confection. I then sandwiched them with a bittersweet ganache made with Callebaut 61% Grenade chocolate (The stuff I save for special recipes). The results were too delicious!

A Healthy Breakfast for ESI...

Every Thursday I send breakfast in for my husband's sales team. They always enjoy what I make (homemade cinnamon rolls, scones, etc.), but last week I received super enthusiastic thanks for the breakfast I created. It consisted of yogurt that I thickened and flavored myself, fresh fruit, and homemade granola. I was told later that there were team members (who shall remain nameless, you know who you are, hehe) trying to sneak the leftovers out without anyone noticing. I take it as a great compliment. So in case you were part of that breakfast club and would like the details, here they are.

Honey Citrus Yogurt

1 quart Plain Yogurt (choose a good brand, use low fat if you would like)

3 Tbsp. Honey

2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract

the zest of 1 orange

1. Line a seive with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Place the yogurt in the cheesecloth and allow to drain for 2 hours. This makes the yogurt much thicker and richer.


2. Place the yogurt in a bowl and stir in the honey, vanilla extract, and orange zest.


3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fresh Fruit Topping

1 pint Strawberries, hulled and halved

1 pint Blueberries

1/2 pint Raspberries

1 Pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced

10 Fresh mint leaves

1. Toss the fruit together (be gentle!) in a large bowl.


2. Stack the mint leaves, roll them up like a cigar, and slice thinly with a paring knife. This will create delicate threads of mint (called "chiffonade"). Toss the mint in with the fruit.

Serve the yogurt and fruit with a good quality Granola and you'll have a delicious breakfast.

Citrus in the Summertime...

As you can probably tell, I love using citrus in the summer. Limes, lemons, and oranges seen to find their way into almost everything I bake. Somehow, a little tart zing seems to uplift all the other ingredients in a recipe, and the aroma of a freshly zested lime is incredible. This week, I have been searching for the perfect lime cookie. I chose to use key limes, which have a much more balanced flavor than traditional limes, and the zest seems to be more intensely flavored. I chose a sugar cookie formula that is very decadent yet light, and I will infuse the dough with lots of key lime zest and juice. Pictures to come, check back later in the week!

Theraputic Baking....

After a week long trip to Kansas City, MO and way too much time spent waiting in airports (Richmond, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City), some baking therapy was in order.

Kansas City is such a wonderful food city. I fell in love with Cosentino's Market in the Power and Light District. The artisan chocolate display is amazing, and I feasted on ripe organic raspberries and pluots for breakfast. I also found Savvy, a locally owned coffee and wine bar just down the street from Cosentino's. The coffee is brewed to order, and the staff is extremely friendly.

I have been brainstorming about the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, and the new holiday items I will be offering at the Market on Saturday. Today's baking was a test-drive of Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. Strawberry shortcake is such a classic summer dessert, and I wanted to capture those flavors and textures in a cookie. Here's the finished product: a light, moist scone-like cookie with a hint of vanilla and butter, studded with fresh strawberries. Delicious! For more information on Strawberry Shortcake Cookies and any of my other products, visit lanascustomdesserts.com.

Welcome to My Blog!

Wecome to the new blog for Lana's Custom Desserts! I plan to feature new offerings, recipes, and updates on my baking challenges and successes. I also want to thank all of my loyal, wonderful customers from the South of the James Farmer's Market in Richmond, VA. You all are so wonderful, and you're making my dream a reality. Thank you so much for your support!!