Scones!!

Let's talk scones. Growing up for me, a scone was a deep-fried dough that was made primarily for a dessert. My favorite was spreading honey-butter on it and maybe a little bit of cinnamon-sugar. It wasn't until I moved out of Utah and was asked to make scones at work, that I realized my definition of a scone was very different from everyone else. I quickly discovered that a traditional scone is more like a biscuit - which can include a variety of ingredients, such as fruit, nuts, spices, etc. I became simply fascinated with it - not only were they delicious, but they were a perfect pair with coffee. Every morning before church while my partner was in choir rehearsal, I would take a walk up the street to Great Harvest and try a new scone every week. Their scones are about as round as a C.D., and probably a good 4 inches high - terribly filling, but with flavors like Blueberry-Orange or Mocha, I would consider Sunday my free day to indulge.
I thought to myself, I would really like to learn to make these. And, the Law of Attraction came in to play, and it was soon my project at work to make scones to replace the ones we buy for the coffee shop in our hotel. The idea was to save on food cost and to make nearly everything we could from scratch and I was excited at the idea. The scones the hotel bought were a lemon-blueberry with coarse sugar sprinkled on top - so I did some research online and played around with some recipes. Here are a few pictures from those experiments:

The goal of my first experiment was to try to match the flavor - the look and size weren't a huge issue for me at that point. Luckily, the flavor was comparable (might I add that mine may have tasted a bit better - I credit lack of preservatives... and extra lemon zest) so the next task was to try to match the size. This was a little more tricky because scones are very similar to regular biscuits where you don't quite know how much they are going to raise and if they will raise up or out or split...
The second test went a bit smoother regarding the size - there was still the issue of making it look exactly alike, but with the flavor down and the size generally figured out now, Mothra and Clara gave me the thumbs up to start mass production. I figured that the coffee shop would order about a dozen a day - but it ended up being 2 dozen a day. My jaw hit the floor because these scones weren't exactly the most simple to make and my recipe (at the time) yielded 48.

So, since then, my main goal for these scones have been to stream line production and get a solid game plan to how these need to be made in mass production. When I tried to simply multiply the recipe and create it, I found that they didn't turn out quite as well. Also, rolling the dough out on a bench and working it didn't seem to work as well with a larger batch. Suffice to say, it's been a game of trial and error, but I finally have it.

Feeling adventurous? Here is the recipe I used.

Blueberry & Lemon Scones
(Makes about 12 scones - cut into squares 3 1/2" x 3 1/2", then cut down the middle diagonally)

Ingredients
3 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
8 T. butter (cold, unsalted)
2 large eggs
3/4 C. heavy cream (plus some extra to wash top of scones before baking)
1 T. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 C. blueberries, frozen (plus more to add to top of scone before baking)
coarse sugar, as needed for tops of scones before baking


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir.

Cut the butter into small pieces, and add to the flour mixture. Mix with a pastry blender or fork, until a coarse meal forms with tiny pea-sized butter pieces.

Whisk eggs and heavy cream in a small bowl. Stir in zest and juice. Add to the flour and butter mixture. Begin to gently mix with a spatula. When mixture is nearly combined (though you see some flour mix not incorporated), add the blueberries. Mix until just combined. (It's OK if a few berries bleed.) Do not over mix.

Using a floured surface, shape the dough into a rectangle, roughly 1 inch thick. Cut the dough 3 1/2" by 3 1/2 " squares, then cut each square diagonally (it helps at this point to use a knife with the blade wet to help make the cut smooth and precise, wash off knife as needed). Place scones on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Brush scones with heavy cream and sprinkle tops with coarse sugar.

Bake scones for 15 minutes, rotating pans mid-way through, or until puffed and golden; transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Voila. The perfect companion to your morning coffee or favorite morning beverage.

It's been funny too because now that I feel pretty confident about this recipe, it's been popping up more and more on regular banquet orders - though the flavors change every time: maple with lemon glaze, triple berry, cinnamon-pecan, dried apricot.... But I think that is one of the great things about this recipe is that the lemon and blueberry can be substituted for almost any other ingredient you want. It gives you that creative freedom to explore new flavors in baked items.

(I should also note that by making these scones in house instead of ordering them in has saved the hotel about $6000 anually... Ridiculous, right?!)

I bet you're asking - What? No rant?! And the answer is no. I'm going to do my best to keep this blog focused on delicious food, nutrition, and the learning process along the way. I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to start making recipes with more a more dietary specific focus. Luckily for me, I presented that idea to Mothra who completely loved the idea. Beginning sometime next week, we will be getting various flours and ingredients in to start making and experimenting with gluten-free products. I am incredibly excited about that.

Also, I know I mentioned this in my other blog, but I am going back to school. My goal is nutrition and nutritional science - but unfortunately, since my credits didn't transfer over from culinary school, I am starting from scratch. So, while I won't be taking classes specific to my major for a while, I wanted to be more involved with nutrition at work. As much as I love pastry, the truth of the matter is that Americans consume more fat and sugar than their bodies can handle - not to mention the other artificial ingredients, preservatives, and other nutrient-lacking items that are usually incorporated in everyday foods and desserts... So the idea of experimenting more with foods that are specific to special dietary needs and with a more health-conscience focus is really exciting. I'll post more about those adventures as they happen.

To end, I'll post a few more pictures of some things I've done at work and in my free time:

Spring time at the pastry shop means spring time cookies - you all were well aware of my... er... love of the snowflakes and mittens from last winter. Luckily, these were made with a soft fondant which meant it was easier to handle, had a beautiful shine, and hardened up in a few hours (compared to the days it can take for some icings and frostings to take)

Couldn't do tulip cookies and not do yellow ones...

Here in Chicago, there is an annual event called 'For the Love of Chocolate' which is a benefit for scholarships for adults wanting to pursue an education in pastry arts. It's a pretty fantastic event and usually pulls out some big names - last year, I was able to meet Rick Bayless, who was serving some home-made mole sauce (which was out of this world). But this year, I was able to meet Sherry Yard, the pastry chef at Spago in California, author of multiple cookbooks and the one who usually does all of the desserts for Oscar events. Bottom line? A BIG name in the pastry world and I suddenly felt like a little kid meeting one of their favorite sports stars (which actually happened when I was younger - but didn't come close to this) Turns out, she is fantastic and incredibly down to earth.

Quick picture of more scones I've made - I know they aren't as glamorous as cakes and decorated cookies, but there is something so fantastic to me about the simplicity and, ironically, complexity of a baked item. There is so much science involved in each one that people don't usually take time to appreciate.


I had the opportunity to cater my roommates Senior Recital reception and she wanted mini cupcakes. I unfortunately had to work the night of the event, but I did snap some pictures of the items I made. These are red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, a white and dark chocolate garnish, dusted with a little cocoa powder. In back are some banana cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream frosting, garnished with a dried banana chip and dusted with cinnamon.

These are dark chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate buttercream frosting, garnished with a homemade chocolate design (and chocolate covered croquants (puffed rice). (There are also some more of the banana cupcakes in back)

And finally, my personal favorite, was a lemon cupcake with lemon buttercream with a homemade white chocolate garnish and a wedge of candied lemon.

Yesterday I was talking to my partners mom who asked me if I was still doing cakes at work at work, to which I replied I hadn't been. She told me it was such a shame. I couldn't help but laugh - I see her reasoning and felt flattered by her comment, but I guess it's the funny thing about life. For years, there was nothing I wanted more than to do wedding cakes for the rest of my life and then, while I've been working at the hotel, I was able to do just that. So, while I do love making and decorating cakes (and will probably do more in the future, whether through work or my personal business), I am finding I want so much more. These various alleys of pastry (working with croissants, danishes, quick breads), as well as focusing attention on nutrition and dietary needs have been so thrilling to me. While it may not be as glamorous as cakes, I hope you will all enjoy this journey with me as I update this blog with those adventures.