Treats for teatime
Luscious Irish scones and marmalade an ideal pairing
During several visits to Ireland, prolific Minneapolis cookbook author Zoë Francois became obsessed with the simple scones that she seemingly encountered everywhere.
“My first stop after the long flight was to a farm, where I had my first Irish scone with marmalade,” she wrote on her blog, zoebakes.com, an inspiring resource that should be bookmarked by bakers of all stripes. “The love affair with the country and its scones was set in that moment.”
The recipe will quickly earn a berth in your baking rotation, because these uncomplicated crowd-pleasers come together in a snap, and they’re delicious.
The same can be said for Francois’ rendition of kumquat marmalade: easy to prepare, and an essential component to the scone-devouring process.
“Every table in Ireland served scones with a jar of marmalade, which pretty much satisfies all my needs,” she wrote. “I love marmalade! It is the perfect balance of sweet and bitter.”
Francois shares tips for first-time scone bakers: “This recipe is so easy. If you’re entering the scone/ biscuit world, this is a good one to start with. It’s not one of those where you have to keep the butter super-cold, it’s not one of those crazy recipes where it’s going to fall down on you.
“A lot of recipes from Ireland and England and Australia use self-rising flour, but I find that it can be tricky for people. I translated the recipe back to all-purpose flour. That’s what Americans use. Self-rising flour has just never caught on here.”
IRISH SCONES
4 c. flour, plus more for
shaping dough
1 T. baking powder
K t. baking soda
N t. salt
3 T. sugar, plus more for
decoration
K c. (1 stick) unsalted “European” butter (see note), chilled, but not quite hard, so it can be easily worked into the flour
2 c. buttermilk
1 egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. The flour mixture should be fully coated with the butter and it will turn creamy in color.
Gently stir in enough of the buttermilk to create a moist dough that still holds its shape; you may not use all of the buttermilk. There should be a few dry patches at the bottom of the bowl as you are mixing in the buttermilk. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper, fold the dough in half, so you are pressing any dry flour into the dough and folding it as you go. This kneads the dough gently. Do this about 6 times.
On a lightly floured work surface, pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or a round cookie cutter) to cut scones into shape, then place scones at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Very gently, gather up remaining scraps of dough, press together into a 1-inch thick rectangle and cut out more scones, repeating until all the dough is used.
In a small bowl, beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the scones with the egg wash, then sprinkle scones with a bit of sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown and set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm with Kumquat Marmalade (recipe follows). Makes about 1 dozen scones.
Note: From Zoë Francois of zoebakes.com. High-fatcontent European-style butters, such as Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, Président and Plugrá brands, are available in the dairy section of many supermarkets.
KUMQUAT MARMALADE
1 lb. kumquats, cut in half
lengthwise
Pinch salt
1K c. sugar
3 T. corn syrup, optional
(see note)
Place the kumquats into a pot, cover with water and add the salt. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and carefully strain the water from the kumquats. Add the sugar, corn syrup (if using) and enough water just to cover the fruit. Return the pot to the stove over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook until the syrup is the consistency of honey, about 30 minutes.
You want it to go sort of slow, so the kumquats soften; if the juices reduce too quickly, the fruit will be tough. Pour marmalade into a jar and allow it to cool. The marmalade will thicken as it cools. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Makes about 2 cups.
Note: The corn syrup is optional, but it keeps the marmalade from crystallizing, from Zoë Francois.