Propah English Scones.

So the English are notoriously terrific at breakfast and that's about it. Really, the island is kind of the joke of the culinary world. Technically, I think scones would fall in the "tea" category (probably considered an actual meal in Britain), but I prefer them for breakfast (also, I don't drink tea, just loads of coffee).

I was pretty nervous throughout the entire process of making these scones. I asked questions (aloud): "Is this crumbly?" "Is this going to work?" "Have they cooked enough?" "Can I somehow add more sugar without screwing things up?" I ended up making a fairly big mess. The kitchen looked like one of those apartment adds on Craigslist--the apartments you don't want to rent. But it's fine. I cleaned it, it apparently was crumbly and cooked all through. And I decided against adding more sugar. Scones really are more like biscuits than muffins, which Megan and I both decided was a good thing. You can see how the finished scone is almost flaky. Mmmm. Too bad we don't have clotted cream to go with.

The originally recipe I followed called for raisins; I substituted blueberries. I realize September is exactly prime blueberry season, but they just looked so plump and juicy at the store though a bit on the tart side. Blueberries really are the perfect little fruit to go in baked goods. It did, however, makes things quite interesting when the recipe called for kneading the dough and rolling it flat. Said plump and juicy blueberries were exploding and oozing all over. It was beautiful. And this morning when I ate my scones, the blueberries bled all over the biscuit and my fingers, staining the plate and my hands. So much better than store-bought blueberry muffins, which someone lately told me were actually made with dyed pieces of apple! English Tea Scones: 2 1/2 cups flour 2 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces 2 beaten eggs 3/4 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup blueberries In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender (or fork), cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in the middle. Set aside. In another bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk and blueberries. Add egg mixture to dry mixture. Stir until just moistened. Turn dough out on a floured surface. Knead dough by folding and pressing dough until it is nearly smooth. Roll dough into eight-inch circle. Cut into 16 pieces. Place pieces on baking tray. Brush scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden.