Everyday Scones

I don't like cream teas. I know that's unheard of but, not really having a sweet tooth I'd much rather the scone just had butter on it, and that the scone was a crumpet. But the baby has other ideas and just wants doughnuts and raspberry jam so, as a treat for Joe for doing loads of chores on the whim of a hormone-laden wife, and a treat for the bump, I decided that we'd have a homemade cream tea on Saturday.

Short and Sweet by Dan Lepard had an interesting recipe invovling yoghurt and cream in the dough mixture so that's the one I chose although I'm sure you can find one in most baking books, or Delia... of course.

I ate three of these then had to have a nap... Joe finished them off making his tally a mere five. Five scones!!!


Everyday Scones

Makes 6-8

250g low fat plain youghurt
25ml double cream
25g caster sugar
400g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp fine salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g unsalted butter, softened
beaten egg to finish

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/425F/Gas Mark 7. Dan recommends cooking these in a deep roasting dish so less moisture is lost during baking so that's what I used, lined with a teflon baking sheet. You will also need a large mixing bowl and a scone-sized cutter (about 6cm).

1. Stir the yoghurt, cream and sugar together and leave for a few minutes so that the sugar dissolves.

Yoghurt mixture

2. Sift the flour, salt, cream of tartar and bicarb into a large mixing bowl and rub the butter through lightly.

3. Mix the yoghurt mixture into the flour then quickly and gently work everything to a soft sticky dough. Some cooks use a knife to stir the dough to avoid being heavy handed. I initially used my small, metal spatular and then brought it together with my hands.

4. Scoop the dough onto a well-floured work surface and lightly dust the top with flour. Pat it out to 4cm high then push the cutter firmly through the dough without twisting.

5. Place on the base of the roasting tin spaced 2 cm apart.

6. Brush the tops lightly with beaten eggg and bake for 12-14 minutes until just coloured on top.

7. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a tea towel to keep them moist.

Cooling under a tea towel

8. Serve with clotted or whipped cream and jam.

Cream tea

Lemon Tart

I've never made lemon tart before. I don't really know why as it's a very good pudding for making ahead and it's not really very difficult apart from all the lemon squeezing. I did find that not only did i not roll the pastry out thin enough I also just have to face facts and admit that i don't have enough baking beans... there is nothing for it, I shall have to go to Lakeland!

Anyway, this is another recipe from Short and Sweet by Dan Lepard. It was easy to follow and went down a storm!

Lemon Tart

Serves about 6

For the pastry:
125g plain flour
25g icing sugar
a pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, cold but pliable
1 egg yolk
about 1/2 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling:
4 large eggs
200g caster sugar
200ml lemon juice (the juice of about 3-4 large lemons)
zest of 3 unwaxed lemons
125g double cream or creme fraiche
a little icing sugar to serve

Make the pastry first - spoon the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Break the butter into small pieces and rub this through the flour until it's all gone. Stir the eggs yolks with the water and mix with the flour to form a soft and smooth paste. Pat into a flat block, wrap well and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Then pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, put a little jug of water in the fridge with some ice in it so it's ice cold for later.

1. Roll out the pastry thinly and line an 18cm tart case with it, leaving a few scraps over. I find it easiest to roll the pastry out inbetween two large bits of clingfilm as then you don't have to add any extra flour from a floured surface.

2. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans and bake blind for 25 minutes, then remove the paper and the beans and bake the case a little more at 170C/335F/Gas Mark 3 until the base turns a crisp golden brown - about 10 minutes I think but keep an eye on it!

3. Whisk the filling ingredients together and leave to stand for 30 minutes, then skim off any froth. Heat the filling in a pan over a low heat until very warm but not thickened, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, then strain into a jug.

4. Remove the pastry from the oven - use any left over raw pastry to patch any holes or cracks. Pour the filling into the case and bake on a tray at 170C/335F/Gas Mark 3 for 15-20 minutes until barely set.

5. Leave to cool and then put in the fridge. Serve cold wtih a dusting of icing sugar.

Not as beautiful as in the book - but just as yummy... hopefully

Garlic Butter and Cheddar Scones

I always get over excited when I buy a new cookery book. I then get intimidated by it and ignore it for a few weeks before I finally decide what the first attempted recipe shall be. So it was with Short and Sweet by legendary baker Dan Lepard. I didn't find the cover to this particularly appealing but one short minute of peering inside and I had to have it. It covers absolutely everything from basic bread to banana fudge cookies via black russian caramels and soft raspberry coconut ice.

The real decider was Joe disappearing off with three friends on Sunday to go and watch the football and I decided that nothing would be nicer for them at half time than some Garlic Butter and Cheddar scones... so that's what they had. Now these aren't going to win any beauty contests because some of the cheese makes a sort of skirt at the bottom of the scone but this is actually a bonus because this garlicky, leaked cheese is amazing and almost better than the scone itself. What I found especially pleasing is I didn't have to tweak this recipe at all!

Garlic Butter and Cheddar Scones

Makes 6 scones

100g plain flour, plus extra for shaping
100g wholemeal or rye flour
2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely mashed
50g unsalted butter, in 1 cm cubes
200g cheddar, diced
1 large egg
about 4 tbsp low fat plain yoghurt

Heat the oven to 210C/190C fan/ 410F/ Gas Mark 6.5.  Line a baking tray with non-stick paper. I'd also like to recommend that you dice the cheddar quite small - mine was pretty small but my cheddar skirts were pretty big. I think the smaller the dice, the smaller the skirt.

1. Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the garlic and butter. Rub everything together until the butter has almost disappeared and toss the cheese through.

2. Beat the egg with the yoghurt and stir this in to make a soft dough.

3. Pat this out on a floured surface until it's about 4cm thick and either cut out 6 circles of dough or tidy the edges and cut into squares.

4. Place them a small bit apart on the baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top.

5. Leave on the tray to cool slightly before eating.