After the holidays, it's nice to have a lighter schedule. I'm enjoying the slower pace and having time to do things, like read, again. That said, I'm happily staying busy in the kitchen in the new year. In fact, I've been paying attention to satisfying all my random food cravings!
These cravings run the gamut, from steel cut oatmeal to veggie stews, to, of course, chocolate. One recent craving I've been having was for scones. I think it may have something to do with my vague idea for a Christmas afternoon tea of sorts during the holidays that I couldn't manage to make happen. So with more time to cook more random things, it was time to make another batch of scones!
I have developed a preference for British-style scones (which are lighter, more cake-like than the American counterpart), particularly after having an amazing afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason in London a couple of years ago. I came home from that trip to London and wrote about making Battenberg cake and jammy dodgers and I realized I never posted about Fortnum's scones, which I've made a few times as well.
I started making them after Fortnum published their scone recipe in their cookbook published in 2017. I had to get my hands on some '00' flour first. This superfine flour is common in Italian cooking, for making things like pasta; I'm happy to note that it's a lot easier to find this flour now and I can pick up a bag at my local Whole Foods.
I am admittedly quite shaky (i.e., bad) at making things like scones, biscuits, and pie dough. But, somehow, I keep trying. So my Fortnum scones don't come out quite as lofty, or uniform, or nearly as beautiful as the real deal. However, they still taste wonderful! These scones are delicate in a way - light and soft in texture, and sweet. They are less buttery and heavy than American scones and more cake-like; they almost melt in your mouth. After eating the latest batch this past weekend, I realize why I've been craving them!
When I make British scones, I always get the urge to make a small batch of lemon curd to go with it. I did just that this past weekend. It felt so nice to sit down, split open a freshly-baked scone, and slather it with a little homemade lemon curd. As much as I was enjoying the combination, I couldn't help but think how much I like these scones all by themselves, just enjoying the taste and texture of them. Needless to say, I was really happy I paid attention to this particular craving and wanted to put down the recipe here.