LAVENDER SCONES WITH A FRUIT
AND CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
Makes 8 scones
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup lavender sugar + more for finishing (mix equal parts sugar and cooking lavender)
- 1½ sticks cold butter
- 1 large egg yolk (save white)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Cream-Cheese Filling
- 2 (6-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup blackberry jam for serving (other flavored jams may be substituted)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients and butter in mixer; mix to consistency of corn meal.
In separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk, milk, and heavy cream. Pour into dry mixture, and mix just to incorporate. Turn out on floured surface. Knead slightly. Roll to 1-inch thickness. Cut with desired cutter into 8 wedges.
Whisk egg white and brush onto top of the lavender scones. Sprinkle with lavender sugar.
Bake for approximately 7 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and continue to bake for 7 more minutes.
Remove scones to cooling rack. Cool before cutting.
Cream-Cheese Filling: Beat cream cheese in bowl at very slow speed. As it begins to spread, pour in cream. The mixture will be thick and runny at this point. When evenly mixed, turn speed to high and continue to beat until thick.
To Serve: With a serrated knife, cut off the top ⅓ of the scones. Spread a tablespoon of cream filling and a tablespoon of blackberry jam on the bottom portion of the scones. Replace the top portion of the scone and push down slightly to expose the jam and cream-cheese filling. Recipe by Sarah Cresap. Photography by Kathi Inglesby.
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SOURDOUGH BISCUITS
Makes 8 biscuits
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1 cup unfed sourdough starter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.
Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and then using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles little crumbles.
Stir in the sourdough starter and mix until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough into a small disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. This isn’t absolutely necessary; however, I find that cooling the dough keeps the butter from getting too soft and yields a flakier biscuit.
To make the biscuits, add a little flour to the top of the disc and then roll out the dough to about ¾-inch thick. Cut biscuits with a 2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter and then place them in a buttered cast iron skillet, round cake pan, or pie plate.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or when the biscuits are golden on top. Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Serve with jam, honey and butter, or slices of ham and cheese. Recipe and Photograph by Karista Bennett.