"clotted cream & jam; 

would you like a cup of tea?

sweet, buttery scones"

*mimics the british accent*

"would you like a cup of tea with crumpets and scones?"

-- why, yes. thank you very much. 

preferably with clotted cream, the freshest jam and maybe softened butter on the side. 

but truth be told, i have never been to england...let alone, tasted the classic scones in the place where it is iconic accompaniment to the english tea tradition and it would be a shame to miss if i were ever in the region.

*scribbles into food bucket list*

*scones in england with a pot of english tea*

in the meantime, i'd just have to try making them, scones myself. in fact, i am in search for the perfect classic english scone recipe. to date, i have experimented with three recipes and nothing has even come close to the ones i had at ye olde smokehouse in cameron highlands, which boasts to bake one of the best scones in the country.  

what makes scones so distinct is its texture, which i find rather special. it's crumbly, almost like a dry pie crust with a biscuit-like texture but remains buttery in the most delicious way. it is the perfect base to slather clotted cream without guilt and the sweet fruity jam to compliment the mild sweetness of the scones. 

despite not having found that ye olde smokehouse magical recipe for scones, my third recipe trial awarded me with some pretty lovely ones to which i added some dried cranberries that i reconstituted in freshly squeezed orange juice as an addition that ol' beloved scone recipe. 

starting with the most basic ingredients of flour, baking powder, milk and butter, the execution of the whole baking process determines if these pastries would become a success stories of crumbly delicious scones or dreaded 'stones', which can somewhat be avoided with the [#protips] to bear mind ;)

o1. most importantly, it is vital to not overwork the dough. that usually is the reason behind stone hard scones.

o2.  cutting the butter into the flour needs to be done quickly and it helps when the flour and butter is cold when you start working with it.  use only tip of the fingers to rub the butter into flour (as so to avoid the butter from melting too quickly) until the flour + butter mixture creates into breadcrumb-like consistency.

o3. kick start the scones' rise with a hot baking tray

o4. buttermilk helps with the texture of the scones but if you can't always find buttermilk, it can be made by combining whole milk and lemon. 

you know the drill... the recipe can be found at the bottom of the entry.

{mise en place.}

{homemade buttermilk.}

{cranberries reconstituted.}

{cutting butter into flour}

{sugar + cranberries + milk.}

{doughing it out}

{pre-baked.}

{egg-washed.}

{fin.}

my mom and my niece is a huge fan of scones, and also the reason behind my making scones. so they would be my greatest critics, besides myself, of course. 

visually - could be a bit more golden. probably need to give it a couple minutes on the top shelf of the oven. 

i consider it a success especially when it doesn't turn out to be rock hard. ;) 

splitting it in half, my first bite was a a mild sweetness with the occasional burst of fruitiness chew from the cranberries. buttery, with an almost moist cake-like biscuit consistency, it wasn't quite as crumbly as i'd like. in fact, it didn't require any additional butter nor cream (which i didn't have in hand at that point anyway) but a generous spread of your favorite jam or marmalade would sweeten this tasting a whole lot more.

interestingly and it was slightly odd that my mom preferred the day old scones (we had some extras left) that were kept overnight because it was closer to the crumbly consistency with a drier disposition (in a good way). so, perhaps there is a choice to have it both ways - fresh from the oven or the morning after depending on your textural inclination ;)

a perfection as a quick breakfast/brunch treat to go with coffee and the tea, this tested recipe is worth giving it a shot to whip up a fresh pastry in no time at all with ingredients that you can pretty much find in your kitchen pantry almost at any time.

{recipe} classic scones with jam & clotted cream

adapted from bbc good food

serves 8 

ingredients |

directions |

• heat oven to 220C. 
• put the whole milk into a small sauce pan and heat until warm but not hot. remove from heat, add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set aside for a moment to cool.
• reconstitute the dried cranberries in the freshly squeeze orange juice in a bowl. 
• tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix. 
• add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. stir in the sugar and add in the drained, dried cranberries.
• put a baking sheet in the oven.
• make a well in the the dry mix, then add the liquid and  and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife - it will seem pretty wet at first. 
• scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it's a little smoother. pat into a round about 4 cm deep.
• take a 5 cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour (i used a glass). plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. by this point you'll probably need to press what's left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four. 
• brush the tops with the beaten egg-milk mixture, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray that was removed from the oven. 
• bake for 10 minutes until risen and golden on the top. eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream. if freezing, freeze once cool. defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C) for a few minutes to refresh. 

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

"encased in pastry

moist pink fish flakes atop leeks

salmon wellington"

i am most certainly not a poet... but i try with the haiku.

perhaps i should start with the story behind why salmon wellington became my next food project/experiment.

that was exactly what MADE me do it.. it was the challenge and my curiosity if i could actually do it right! that and my desire to learn a new simple recipe which can be found at the bottom of the entry.

{ veg. prep. }

{ mise en place. }

{ leeky filling. }

{ wrapping. }

{ egg wash. }

{ fin. }

{ side. whipped. }

made a couple of modifications due to the scarcity of the ingredients. the addition of mushrooms and substitution of white wine with apple cider vinegar + sugar mixture at a lesser extent as well as the substitution of dijon mustard with whole grain mustard for the whipped cream to be served on the side.

as it came out fresh from the oven, the pleasant aroma of pastry and the leeks emanated and filled the kitchen, whetting the appetites. from the scores on top of the pastry, the natural oils from the salmon bubbled as it cooled while the leek-mushroom stuffing spilled our of the pastry pocket seam that burst opened. i smiled with a slight smugness as i counted the layers that promised flakiness. 

using a serrated knife to cut into the pastry, slight disappointment struck when i realized the bottom of the pastry was slightly undercooked and almost soggy. despite that, you will first sink your teeth through the golden crispy shell that encase the flaky, butteriness of the pastry that echoed the richness of the perfectly seasoned, moist salmon and finally cut through by the hearty, sweet onion flavor of the leeks-mushroom stuffing, flavored with a borrowed hint of apple cider vinegar tartness. pair it with the light, airy whipped whole grain mustard cream to bring the whole dish together. 

one comment from my fellow tasters having the pastry thicker for a better ratio of salmon to pastry -- too much fish, not enough pastry although personally, i prefer the way it turned out... and i think a combination of dijon mustard with the whole grain would have been nice for the bite.. minus those two, my effort was rewarded with encouraging, positive feedbacks and even a request for recipe sharing!

half portions served with a side salad would make a lovely lunch/dinner. it always helps when this hearty dish is really simple to make. 

a recipe for keeps, perfect for entertaining.

salmon wellington

adapted from food network

makes 2 strudels, sufficient to serve 4 persons

ingredients |

• 1 package of frozen puff pastry, thawed (follow packaging instruction)
• two 1/2 lb. portions (1 lbs in total, 2 fillets) of salmon fillets, skin removed 
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 fat leeks, washed and trimmed (white parts only), sliced on a bias
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 5 fresh button mushrooms (or 3 fresh shittake mushrooms), chopped roughly 
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of white wine (i replaced with 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar & 1/3 tsp of sugar)
• 1 egg plus a tsp of water for the egg wash.