White Cheddar & Scallion Scones + A Birthday
Today is my blog's 3rd birthday! I'm terribly excited about this for so many reasons.
Food blogging has enriched my life in so many ways. It has satisfied my desire to be creative and nurture my passions for cooking, baking, writing and photography. It has made me a better home cook and baker. It has made me more aware about where my food and ingredients come from. It has provided me with the joy of sharing recipes and kitchen tips with my family, friends and readers.
I've mentioned this in previous posts, but it bears repeating: one of the best aspects about becoming a food blogger has been all the friendships I've made. I know many of these new friends online through my conversations with them on Twitter, Facebook and our respective blogs, but there are some friends whom I've had the great pleasure of meeting in person. Everyone--whether I've met them in person or know them online--is a wonderfully talented and generous bunch of lovelies. I'm hoping that Year Three of food blogging brings me more opportunities to meet even more of my fellow blogging friends.
This year also started with a brand new opportunity for me: I am a contributing guest blogger for Mom It Forward, where I'm writing about food and travel. I feel honored to have been asked to be a contributing blogger for such a great website with such a positive and empowering message for moms and women.
I am also immensely grateful for all the people in my life who have given me so much encouragement and enthusiastic support. My husband Peter is an incredible cheerleader and always a willing taste-tester.
My talented friend Claudia of Figure A Design, Inc. gave me a blog design I love to look at every single day.
My web development team at Sisarina back in my hometown of Bethesda, Maryland has given me a blogging platform that this technically-challenged gal can use with ease and confidence.
And I am grateful for all of you who take the time to stop by to read my posts and comment. It's so much fun reading how much you love food and cooking, how certain recipes remind you of someone you love, or how a recipe I've written about has given you inspiration in the kitchen.
To celebrate, I thought I would do something different and give you a recipe for a savory scone using white cheddar and scallions. I love savory baking and don't do it often enough. For me, savory baking combines the best of both worlds: my love for baking and the addition of ingredients I enjoy using when I cook. Plus you just can't go wrong with scones. They are just delightful flaky pillows of goodness. This savory version would accompany a bowl of soup or chili perfectly.
Thank you all for reading Flavia's Flavors and Buon Appetito!
White Cheddar & Scallion Scones
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
Makes about 30 scones using a 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" square cutter.
*To make your life easier, get the white cheddar at your grocery store's deli counter, where they can weigh the exact amount you need.
*Place some extra flour into a separate bowl to use as needed for the work surface where you will be rolling and cutting the scones. Because the dough has eggs in it, you do not want to place your hands or the cutter in your main flour canister and cause cross-contamination.For the scones:
4 cups all-purpose flour + 1 Tablespoon
2 T. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
3 sticks (3/4 lb.) unsalted butter, diced into cubes & kept cold
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream, kept cold
1/2 lb. white cheddar cheese, small dice, kept cold
3/4 cup finely sliced scallions
For the egg wash:
1 large egg + 1 T. heavy cream or milk, beaten well.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low to combine. Over low speed, add in the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the heavy cream and add it to the flour-butter mixture over low speed. Mix until just combined, but do not over-mix.
In a small bowl toss the diced cheddar and scallions with 1 tablespoon of flour until thoroughly coated. Add them to the dough over low speed and mix until the cheese and scallions are almost incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface {the dough will be sticky} and knead it for 1 minute, until the cheese and scallions are incorporated completely into the dough.
Lightly flour a rolling pin {and the work surface if necessary} and roll the dough out until it is about 3/4 inches thick. Flour the cutter and cut out squares {or rounds}. If you are using a square cutter, use a knife to cut each square into a triangle. Transfer all the cut out scones to the parchment-lined baking sheets, placing them about 1 inch apart.
Note: To minimize waste, I re-rolled the dough scraps three times. When re-rolling the dough scraps, be sure to handle it as lightly as possible and work quickly to avoid developing the gluten in the flour, which will make the scones tough in texture.
Brush the top of each scone with the egg wash. Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. When the scones are cooked, allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in a covered container. Eat within 2-3 days of baking.
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Sorry I missed your blog birthday! Congrats! Love the scones! xoxo
Happy blog birthday and I wish you all the best in your 3rd year! I can think of no other way to celebrate than with scones - savory ones at that!
Cheers!
Lori
Well said....and congrats! Sounds like a great opportunity. Hopefully we can meet up this year!
Happy Blog Bday! These scones look so good that my mouth is watering. Time for lunch!
Happy Blog Birthday Flavia! I love scones, and these savory ones wouldn't last long around me!
Way to go babe! Very proud of you! Oh..the scones...delicious too! Your taste tester approves