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!

Summer Vegetarian Tacos

I had an itch for tacos with fresh ingredients that were light and summery, and stumbled across this interesting sounding saute on Post Punk Kitchen.  It wasn't for tacos, necessarily, but I thought it might work well. 

It also had seitan (pronounced say-TAN, not satan, ha!) in it, which I was intrigued to try.  The meat-loving fiance was willing to give it a try (bless him and his tolerant taste buds).  I had to buy it at Whole Foods, but I never mind having an excuse to go there, really.  If you can't find seitan, feel free to use black beans instead.

The result?  Awesomely tasty.  Really.  They were fresh tasting, yet the seitan and mushrooms lend a wonderful savory and meaty flavor (and texture).  I wasn't sure what to expect with this experiment, but it turned out amazing.  Next time we might add some fresh slaw or rice, just to mix it up. It was very easy to throw together, so we will definitely be making this regularly!

Summer Vegetarian Tacos
(adapted from The Post Punk Kitchen)

Makes 4-5 tacos

Taco Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium red onion, in thinly sliced half moons
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (seeds removed if you want less heat)
8 oz seitan, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh corn kernels, from 2 ears of corn (you can use frozen corn, in a pinch, but not ideal)
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Avocado Cream
2 ripe avocados
1/4 - 1/3 cup sour cream (to taste)
Pinch of salt

Small flour tortillas
2-3 small tomatoes, chopped
Queso fresco cheese, crumbled
Hot sauce (if you need more heat)
Fresh cilantro, chopped
 

Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and jalapeno in two teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the seitan and corn, and an additional tablespoon of oil and cook for about 5 minutes, until seitan is lightly browned, stirring often.
Add the mushrooms, cilantro, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
Push everything to one side of the pan so that you have space to quickly saute the garlic. Put the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and toss in the garlic, stirring as it sizzles, for about 15 seconds. Then mix everything together and add the lime as well.

For the avocado cream, cut avocados in half and scoop out the insides and put into a bowl.  Mash (or use immersion blender) to smooth it out.  Add sour cream (to your taste) and salt, and blend.

To assemble tacos - spread some of the avocado cream on the tortilla, and top with filling.  Garnish with chopped fresh tomato, crumbled queso fresco cheese, cilantro, and hot sauce (to your taste).

Enjoy!

Mid-Summer Corn Chowder

Corn - a favorite summer food (especially for us Midwesterners!)  It was on sale at our local grocery store, and although we adore corn-on-the-cob, I wanted to try something else with fresh corn and this recipe was just the thing.

This is a great healthy recipe that's perfect for when you have lots of summery produce laying around, just waiting to be eaten.  Unlike most chowders, it doesn't use cream or anything for the smooth texture, so it's waistline-friendly.  It also makes a decent amount, so we had a tasty lunch to bring to work for a few days (always a plus).  I got this recipe from a vegan cookbook (my favorite), but I made it non-vegan with some chicken broth and added cheese.  However, it's easily made vegan/vegetarian and it's superb either way!

In addition to the garnish of tomatoes and basil, I also sprinkled on some queso fresco cheese, and it was even more delicious.  The fiance suggested some small (cubed) roasted rosemary potatoes for a different additional garnish, and I will try that sometime as well.

Mid-Summer Corn Chowder with Basil, Tomato, & Fennel
(adapted from Veganomicon)
Serves 6-8

6 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 large onion, cut into fine dice
1 small bulb fennel (about 1/2 pound), diced
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
1 large carrot, diced
1 pound white, waxy potatoes - Yukon Gold is a good one (about 2 medium-sized), peeled and diced
1 tsp dried thyme (the original recipe called for 2, but thyme can be so pungent so I reduced it to 1)
2 quarts vegetable and/or chicken broth (or a fresh corn stock that I was too lazy to make)
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
1 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped finely
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly rolled and chopped into thin strips
Queso fresco or panela cheese, diced/crumbled

On a large cutting surface or in a large bowl, hold an ear of corn by the thicker end and run a sharp knife carefully down the length of the ear, close to the cob, to slice off the kernels of corn.  Repeat with the remaining ears.  Note that kernels will fly all of the place, so have a nice, big work space.  Use the non-sharp side of the knife to 'milk' the cob to get the little bits and juice that you couldn't get while slicing off the kernels.  Set aside the kernels, break each cob in half to use in the corn stock, or add to the soup when simmering.

Preheat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Saute the garlic in oil for 30 seconds, then add the onion.  Stir and cover, sweating them for about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery, stir, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the fennel, stir, cover, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes; then add the chopped potato, stir, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the stock, salt, pepper, and thyme, stir, cover, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and allow the soup to simmer, covered (with lid tilted so a small amount of heat can escape), for 45 minutes.  Turn off the heat and set aside to cool until only slightly warm.

Puree the bowl of soup with an immersion blender.  If you would like it to be a bit chunkier, reserve half of the soup, un-pureed, in another bowl, and puree only half of it.  Reheat all soup in pot until hot enough to serve, add tomatoes, and basil, and cheese (if using), and serve.

Enjoy!