By Valerie Franklin (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 5, 2014
It’s early March. It’s cold. It’s dark. You’re dreaming of summer: fresh blueberries by the handful, the smell of sunscreen, warm grass between your toes.
Sorry, readers; we still have a few more weeks of winter ahead of us. But if you’re craving a taste of spring, try this recipe for warm black currant scones topped with spoonfuls of custardy lemon cream. The tart, bright flavours will make you forget all about the slush and frost outside.
Throw a tea party for some friends on a rainy spring day, serve these with a pot of hot Earl Grey tea, and you’ll feel like the Queen of England. Or, you know, King.
Black currant scones
2 cup flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup butter
1 cup milk or water
1 cup dried black currants, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and the butter.Pour your soaked and drained black currants in, then add the milk. Blend the mixture just enough to moisten the flour, but no more. If the dough is still dry, add a teaspoon or two of milk or water, but be careful — a wet dough makes a tough scone.
Moving quickly, use a spoon to drop scone-sized lumps of dough onto the tray, or cut out cylinders of dough with a floured cookie cutter if you prefer a more uniform look.
Drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking tray so that the scones aren’t touching. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the scones are lightly golden around the edges.
Makes about a dozen large scones. Best served fresh, but leftovers can be frozen or stored in an airtight bag or Tupperware to keep them from going stale.
Lemon cream
Zest of 1 large lemon
½ cup lemon juice
1 egg yolk
3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup butter
Fill the lower half of a double boiler with an inch or two of water. Bring it to a simmer.
In the top of your double boiler, whisk together all ingredients except the butter, and keep whisking as it heats up. As with all custards, this recipe is a bit tricky and requires your full attention. You have to stay with it. Don’t let it sit or get too hot, or the melted sugar will cook the egg and make it lumpy.
Whisk the mixture over the simmering water for 10-12 minutes, or until it thickens to a custard. If you’re worried about the egg being cooked properly, check the temperature with a thermometer; it should be above 180° F.
Remove the top half of the double boiler so that it’s no longer being heated. Stir the butter into the custard so that it melts, then allow the mixture to cool to a safe temperature.
You’re done! Spoon the custard onto the warm black currant scones, pour yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy.
Can be stored for four or five days in the fridge… if it lasts that long!
