The Late Night Gourmet
Home kook
- Joined
- 30 Mar 2017
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- Location
- Detroit, USA
- Website
- absolute0cooking.com
This recipe challenge couldn't have come at a better time. I posted a month and a half ago about being in a winter cooking funk, but I had no idea how long it was going to drag on. I seriously hit a point where I had no interest in cooking. But, the dilemma was, of course, that I had to eat, and I didn't want to pay for someone else to make food that I know wouldn't be as healthy as I could make myself.
Even when I was getting ready to make this, I almost talked myself out of it: I can do this tomorrow...I don't feel like doing it now. But, I forced myself to continue, and I'm glad I did.
Not that things turned out perfectly. I haven't cooked anything in 2 months - not counting the pickling I did recently - and I hadn't baked in...well, it had been a while. The recipe was sound, but I rolled out the dough too thinly. The result was overly dry scones. I like the taste, but the execution wasn't great. But, still, the end result was a good one:
I WANT TO COOK AGAIN!
One thing about the role of coffee (espresso powder) in this recipe. Every coffee scone recipe I consulted used what I think of as a microscopic amount of espresso powder: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per 2 cups of flour. How can anyone taste the coffee that way? With my recipe, the coffee does come through, though it plays with the floral qualities of the orange and the cardamom.
My next recipe will probably be this one again, but rolled out properly. And, maybe, I'll add even more espresso powder this time.
One final note: this is an absurdly light take on a scone. I tweaked just about every ingredient to replace it with a lighter alternative. It still works, but I can understand not being able to locate Swerve sugar substitute (I had to order mine from Amazon). It all certainly works (and tastes richer) with regular butter and sugar.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Swerve sugar substitute
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 large orange, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup orange juice)
5 tablespoons light butter, cold, cut in chunks
3/4 cup fat-free half-and-half, plus more for brushing the scones
1⁄2 cup Swerve confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, espresso powder, and cardamom powder together in a bowl. Zest the skin of the orange into the bowl and whisk that together, too.
3. Using a fork, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
NOTE: the total quantity of orange juice and half-and-half should be 1 cup; if there is less juice from the orange, add some half-and-half to make up the difference.
4. Mix in the juice from the orange. Make a well in the center and pour in the half-and-half. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough.
5. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 inches by 6 inches by 3/4 inch thick (unlike what you see here, which I spread out too thinly).
6. Cut the rectangle in half length-wise, then cut in quarters length-wise, giving you 8 squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape.
NOTE: it will be hard to judge how done the scones are by browning because of the espresso powder coloration. Remove immediately from baking sheet and place on cooling racks.
7. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with half-and-half. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
8. While the scones are baking, make the glaze by combining confectioner's sugar with a small amount of water. Let the scones cool a bit before applying the glaze. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, and brush onto the surface of the scones. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
