Strawberry and Cream Scones

It's been a really busy and stressful time at work and I felt a baked good was in order.  Who would say no to that?  And I'm always a fan of Smitten Kitchen, so I decided to give this recipe a whirl.

I call these scones, but they're sort of a biscuit-scone hybrid, in the best possible way!  The way they're made is definitely biscuit-like (mix dry first, cut in chilled butter, add liquid).  But they use cream instead of buttermilk, and that is more like a scone.

But really, I don't care what they're called, because they are SO GOOD.    They're moist (unlike most scones), and flavorful.  I made a batch for the fiance and I to try out first, and we ate half the batch on the spot.  The second batch, for my coworkers, disappeared off my desk so fast that by mid-morning there were only crumbs left.

I used a biscuit cutter for these, only to make them equal size, but you could certainly used the scone-triangle shape for "authenticity."

If you want a special breakfast...or a tasty treat...or just want to use up some strawberries, this is the recipe for you!

Strawberry and Cream Scones
(from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes a dozen or more, depending on the size

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon  baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 cup chopped very ripe strawberries
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

You want to mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, toss in the strawberries, and mix in the cream.  There are three methods of doing this.  My favorite is listed first.

Food Processor: Mix dry ingredients in your food processor, a few pulses will do it.  Scatter the cold butter over the dry ingredients and pulse briefly, until it resembles a coarse meal.  Pour mixture into large bowl and mix in strawberries to coat them.  Then mix in the heavy cream.  Try not to overmix it!

Pastry Cutter/Knives:  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in cold butter until it resembles a coarse meal.  Mix in strawberries to coat them, and then mix in the heavy cream.  Do not overmix.

Grater:  Freeze butter.  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Grate butter into dry ingredients with a large hole box grate, until it resembles a coarse meal.  Mix in strawberries to coat them, and then mix in heavy cream.  No overmixing!

When you’ve mixed it in as best as you can with the spatula, go ahead and knead it once or twice in the bowl, to create one mass. Do not worry about getting the dough evenly mixed. It’s far more important that the dough is not overworked.

Generously flour your counter. With as few movements as possible, transfer your dough to the counter, generously flour the top of it and with your hands or a rolling pin, gently roll or press the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles with a floured biscuit cutter or cut triangles. Carefully transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each.

You can re-roll the scraps of dough, but don’t freak out over how wet the dough becomes as the strawberries have had more time to release their juice. They’ll still bake up wonderfully.
Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until bronzed at the edges and the strawberry juices are trickling out of the biscuits in places. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Do ahead: Biscuits are generally best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the froze, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.

Enjoy!

Applesauce Biscuits (vegan)

The first vegan biscuits were such a success, I was itching to try another kind.  The boyfriend suggested applesauce biscuits.  I'd secretly been wanting to try applesauce as an ingredient anyway, so why not?

The applesauce I used is homemade by my dear mother.  It's awesome.  Seriously.  The boyfriend agrees.  I hoard the stuff anytime she sends me some (which is now quite the feat being four rather large states away).  And the boyfriend is under strict instructions to not open a jar without my leave.  I know it sounds crazy, but you would be the same way if it was in your cupboard.  And if the apocalypse happens, we'll be sitting pretty with our jarred applesauce!

So, I'm sorry you can't use my mom's applesauce for this recipe.  But, use an applesauce you like.  Perhaps even your own homemade!  (Someday I will learn how to do that, but our current kitchen is simply not designed for more than one butt at a time, let alone the counter space required for such an endeavor.)

Luckily, for this recipe, I already had a template of sorts to use - the Sweet Potato Biscuits.  I like it because with all of the moisture from the applesauce (or sweet potato puree), you need far less fat (butter, lard, or coconut oil), so this is a "healthier" version of a biscuit that still tastes good enough to not be identified as such.

Also, if you'd like to make them "regular" and not vegan, feel free to swap out the almond milk for cow's milk and the coconut oil for butter!

Applesauce Biscuits (Vegan)
(Heavily adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 12 to 14 2-inch biscuits

3/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk with 1 tsp. lemon juice in it
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) table salt
5 tablespoons coconut oil, cold

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop out coconut oil, put in bowl, and place in fridge for a half hour or so until it hard and cold, and take it out at the last moment when you need it.

Combine almond milk, lemon juice and applesauce.  Whisk until smooth and set aside.  Mix dry ingredients in your food processor, a few pulses will do it.  Scatter the coconut oil chunks (cold) over the dry ingredients and pulse briefly, until it resembles a coarse meal.

Dump the mixture into a bowl and stir in the almond milk and applesauce mixture by hand.  Stop when the dough forms a uniform texture.  (The food processor will overwork it and produce tough biscuits.  Tough biscuits = all the bad things in the world!)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.  Roll it out evenly, until it's about 3/4 inch thick.  Dip a floured biscuit (or cookie) cutter into flour before cutting out the biscuits.  Place them onto the prepared pan.

Bake the biscuits for 5 minutes in the 450 degree oven, and then rotate the pan and turn the oven down to 400 degrees.  Bake for 10-12 more minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack, let cool a few minutes, and then enjoy! 

Whole Wheat Biscuits (Vegan)

I love biscuits.  This is a well known fact.  I would love to share biscuits with all my friends, however, some of them are vegan.  Hm.  This presents a problem.  How to make them without my beloved dairy?  And lard??  And no weird flours or ingredients that I'd have to get at a special store?

Enter: Coconut oil (non hydrogenated)

 

For those of you who haven't cooked with it before, it's great.  It's generally found in the organic area of the grocery store, and it's fantastic for cooking up to medium-high heat.  It's a mildly flavored (no suntan lotion smell, I promise!) and it's great for baking.  I also particularly enjoy using a bit of it for cooking eggs or some stir fries.  

To note though, that all coconut oils are not created equal.  I used Dr. Bronner's (yes, the same manufacturer as the hemp peppermint-all-in-one pure castile soap!) for this recipe, and it did smell coconut-y, but not in a bad way.  I do know that Spectrum brand is odorless, so next time I'll probably use it instead.  Also, it does melt at a lower temperature, so I knew that keeping it "in chunks" for biscuits would be tough.  Thankfully, we just acquired a food processor, and that does the trick for cutting in the fat without making a melted, soggy mess.  So the question -  can coconut oil replace butter and lard in a biscuit where it's crucial to have chunks of fat to create steam pockets and therefore flaky biscuits?

Apparently, yes.

But first, another dairy dilemma - what about the buttermilk?  A friend suggested almond milk.  To recreate the tang that buttermilk has, I soured it with lemon juice.  And, bingo, it worked.  And it didn't taste of almonds, which wouldn't have necessarily been a bad thing, but not what I was going for.

I will admit that I wasn't sure these were going to work, so I didn't photograph the process (oops).  Work they did, and the flavor was great!  The whole wheat flour lent a nutty and more wholesome flavor, and they were flaky and tender, as all biscuits aspire to be.

And they are boyfriend and vegan friend approved!

(If you're going for just "regular whole wheat biscuits," you can still use this recipe.  Just swap out the coconut oil and almond milk for butter and milk)

Vegan Whole-Wheat Biscuits
(heavily adapted from the Cook's Country recipe)
Makes ~ 12 biscuits

12 Tbsp coconut oil (scoop out, and put in a bowl in the fridge until you need it - remember, it needs to be cold!)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups almond milk (with 1 Tbsp + 3/4 tsp lemon juice)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix dry ingredients in your food processor, a few pulses will do it.  Scatter the coconut oil chunks (cold) over the dry ingredients and pulse briefly, until it resembles a coarse meal.

Dump the mixture into a bowl and stir in the almond milk mixture by hand.  Stop when the dough forms a uniform texture.  (The food processor will overwork it and produce tough biscuits.  Tough biscuits = all the bad things in the world!)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.  Roll it out evenly, until it's about 3/4 inch thick.  Dip a floured biscuit (or cookie) cutter into flour before cutting out the biscuits.  Place them onto the prepared pan.

Bake the biscuits for 5 minutes in the 450 degree oven, and then rotate the pan and turn the oven down to 400 degrees.  Bake for 10-12 more minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack, let cool a few minutes, and then enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup with Apple and Cheese Biscuits

Earlier this week, I was looking at some of the produce in my kitchen and there was an overabundance of sweet potatoes.  Hmmm... What to do with them?  Something new and different.  Poking around on the interwebs, I found this recipe on The Food Network, from Giada De Laurentis - Creamy Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup.  It had a short list of ingredients, and was simple - all the makings of something tasty that really allows the ingredients shine.  Perfect.

You might have picked up on my recent obsession with biscuits.  But, is that really such a bad thing?  I think not!  Bring on the flaky, buttery goodness!  I do really enjoy a biscuit with my soup (if you hadn't noticed), so that was a natural pairing.  But I wanted to add something for a flavor to compliment the soup.  Hmmm... I really liked the local Beecher's Cheese I added last time.  What else though?  Apple!  It always pairs well with sweet potatoes.  I wasn't sure if the apple would affect the leavening or flakiness at all, but I was curious to try this idea out.  I did some research for any existing recipes, but didn't find any like I had imagined.  Great chance to test my hypothesis of awesomeness, and I'm pleased to report that it turned out well.  All the flavors in the biscuit are extremely subtle and just give you a hint and a pleasing aftertaste, but don't overwhelm the buttery and flaky biscuit.

All in all, an easy and tasty meal.  There was only one slight mishap involving the pureeing of the soup... (or user error, if you will.)  I don't yet have an immersion blender in my kitchen, so I had to utilize a regular blender.  I ladled in a small batch in the blender and it blended with no problem, and then I poured it out into another large bowl.  I ladled in a bit more this time, and pressed the button - bam!  The boyfriend and kitties came to investigate the noise and found me cursing and orange goop splattered everywhere.  Oops.  Learning experience!  (Or more motivation to get an immersion blender)

Despite my little lesson, the soup and biscuits turned out beautifully and I adore the flavors.  This will definitely be on my soup standards list!

Creamy Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup
(from Giada De Laurentis - Food Network)
4-6 servings (1.5-2 cup serving size)


3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large or 6 small shallots, thinly sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (about 2 to 3) sweet potatoes, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 (6-inch long) stems fresh rosemary
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Edit 2/9/14: To make it really easy, peel the sweet potatoes and then shred them in your food processor.  It's fast, easy, and cooks quicker!

In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the rosemary stems (leave the leaves). Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. If you don't have an immersion blender, you may puree it by ladling, in small batches, into a food processor or blender.  If using this method, be careful with the hot liquid in the blender as the top may blast off!

Whisk in the mascarpone cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Apple and Cheese Biscuits
(adapted from Cook's Country)
~12 biscuits

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 Tbsp lard (or shortening)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, and grated
lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Beecher's (or cheddar, or other cheese of choice)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk OR substitute (Stir 1 Tbsp + 3/4 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 1/4 cups milk. Let stand at room temp for 10 minutes until thickened)

Cut butter and lard into 1/2 inch pieces and refrigerate until chilled.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl.  Peel apple and grate (on large whole box grater) into a bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, to prevent browning.  Then drain apples in fine-mesh strainer/sieve set over bowl.  Press liquid from the apples, to avoid soggy biscuits!

Cut in chilled butter and lard with pastry cutter until the mixture is coarse and butter is the size of small peas.  Stir in grated apple and grated cheese.

Stir in buttermilk until just combined.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly, 8 - 10 times, to form a smooth cohesive ball.  Cover with plastic wrap (or wax paper or parchment paper) and roll to 3/4 inch thick.  Using biscuit (or cookie) cutter dipped in flour, cut out shapes and arrange upside down on prepared baking sheet.  Gently gather scraps and re-roll to 3/4 inch thick to cut remaining biscuits and place on baking sheet.

Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes, then rotate pan and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Baking until golden brown, 10 - 12 minutes more.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kale, Bean, & Sweet Potato Soup with Rosemary-Cheese Biscuits

Anyone else all sugared out from holiday sweets?  I am.  However, I can't...stop...eating...them!  Something healthy was in order.  Enter a favorite soup of mine that fits the bill - Kale, Bean & Sweet Potato Soup.  It's veggie-loaded and freezes well for "emergency lunches."

Don't you feel less sugar-blasted already?

For this soup, I wanted a tasty, carb-y accompaniment.  I had been buying this fantastic rosemary bread from a local bakery, so I knew the flavor profile I had in mind.  However, since I'm not quite ready to be nursing a needy starter (two furry, needy kitties are quite enough, thanks), I needed another option - biscuits!  I'm an avid Cook's Country reader, so I just tweaked their recipe by adding some rosemary and a local favorite cheese - Beecher's.

I also decided to try using lard for the first time, and I must say that the results lived up to my expectations - amazing!   I don't have any biscuit cutters (yet), so I thought I'd make it fun by using some flower and heart shaped cookie cutters.  Who says biscuits always have to be round??

I would ask the boyfriend what he thinks of the final result, but he's too busy noshing on the biscuits to tell me.

Kale, Bean, & Sweet Potato Soup
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
~ 6 one and half cup servings

1 head of garlic
Olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, rinsed, white and light green parts chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped (I cut out the woody center)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 bunch of kale (I used half green, half purple in this batch)
1 can white beans, drained
6 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Pull off almost all of outer skin of garlic (leaving some to hold the cloves together), and cut of top so all of cloves are exposed.  Drizzle couple of teaspoons of olive oil over it so it soaks into the garlic.  Wrap in aluminum foil and cook until soft and darkened (about 40 minutes).  Remove garlic from oven, let cool, and squeeze out roasted cloves.

Place large pot over medium heat (I use my big soup pot, but smaller ones would do).  Add olive oil and heat.  Add rosemary, leeks and onion and cook until translucent.  Add roasted garlic, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, and celery, stirring until potato pieces begin to soften.

Add kale and cook until it begins to wilt.  Add chicken broth and cook until vegetables are tender.  Add beans, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until heated through.  Ladle out into bowls and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Rosemary and Cheese Biscuits
(adapted from Cook's Country)
~12 biscuits

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unstalted butter
4 Tbsp lard (or shortening)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced (I may add a bit more next time)
1/2 cup grated Beecher's (or cheddar, or other cheese of choice)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk OR substitute (Stir 1 Tbsp + 3/4 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 1/4 cups milk. Let stand at room temp for 10 minutes until thickened)

Cut butter and lard into 1/2 inch pieces and refrigerate until chilled.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl.  Cut in chilled butter and lard with pastry cutter until the mixture is coarse and butter is the size of small peas.  Stir in minced rosemary and grated cheese.

Stir in buttermilk until just combined.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly, 8 - 10 times, to form a smooth cohesive ball.  Cover with plastic wrap (or wax paper or parchment paper) and roll to 3/4 inch thick.  Using biscuit (or cookie) cutter dipped in flour, cut out shapes and arrange upside down on prepared baking sheet.  Gently gather scraps and re-roll to 3/4 inch thick to cut remaining biscuits and place on baking sheet.

Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes, then rotate pan and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Baking until golden brown, 10 - 12 minutes more.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions with Sweet Potato Biscuits and Cranberry Relish

The boyfriend and I decided a home-made date night was in order.  It started off with a typical favorite of ours - Eating Well's Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions.  Normally I'd make mashed sweet potatoes with it, but I had been itching to try Smitten Kitchen's Sweet Potato Biscuits, no problem.

And then, while at the grocery store, the boyfriend said something about cranberries and I thought, "Ooo, I'll make my mom's Cranberry Relish!"  Brilliant plan, really.  And then we had a local Riesling to go with it.  The result?  Epic.

A perfect pairing.  Honestly.  I'll rarely suggest a full meal, but this is one to try!

Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions
(Eating Well)
~ 4 servings

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Mix chili powder and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle over both sides of pork.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until golden. Add cider, syrup and vinegar to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning the pork occasionally to coat, until the sauce is reduced to a thick glaze. Serve the pork drizzled with the glaze.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
(Smitten Kitchen - no marshmallows)
Makes 12 to 14 2-inch biscuits

3/4 cup fresh sweet potato puree or can of sweet potato puree (I got organic, so there was NO additional sweeteners, etc)
1/3 cup (79 ml) buttermilk
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
3 tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground (2 grams) cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) table salt
5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter, cold


Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk 3/4 cup  sweet potato puree with buttermilk until smoothly combined. Keep nearby.

In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar, spices and salt together. If you have a pastry blender, add the butter and use the blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. If you don’t have a pastry blender, cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Continue by adding the sweet potato mixture and stir and break it up until the mixture is in big, soft chunks. Get your hands in the bowl and gently knead the dough into an even mass, using as few motions as possible (and thus, warming the dough as little as possible.).

Roll or pat dough out on a floured counter to a 1-inch thickness. Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter in flour then form biscuits by cutting straight down and not twisting — this will help give your biscuits the maximum rise. Bake biscuits on prepared sheet for 13 to 15 minutes, until puffed and slightly golden on top. Cool on rack and enjoy as soon as possible.

Cranberry Relish
(My mom's recipe!)

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 navel orange
1 cup sugar (or, to taste)

Zest the whole orange into a small bowl.  Then peel, and pull out segments.  Pour whole bag of cranberries, orange zest, and orange segments into food processor and... process until there are no big chunks of anything.  Since oranges and cranberries can be sweeter or more tart, I'd start with 1/2 cup of sugar, and add from there.  Process until sugar is fully incorporated.  The original recipe called for more sugar, but 1 cup was enough for us.  It will be a bright flavor, but it's a great contrast to the other foods.  And it is a Thanksgiving and Christmas traditional food in our house!

Enjoy!