Recipe: Cranraisin and Lemon Scones

Mildred Pierce, a well-known restaurant in Toronto based loosely on a classic American film noir from 1945, has a lovely brunch cookbook, which, surprisingly, my husband owned before I met him (granted, it was a gift from his mother). She naturally browsed the recipes in the book prior, and after, and told me about a great recipe for scones. I had been meaning to bake them for a while now, and the perfect occasion arrived. I was looking for a little thank you gift for Diane, and what better way to show our appreciation than to bake up a recipe I know she already likes! 

So, off to the market I went, gathering the ingredients I didn't already have in the house. The original recipe called for dried currants, but finding none in the store, I settled on cranraisins instead. I also needed to pick up some shortening and cream (this is by no means a low-fat recipe!). I wasn't sure how intensive this recipe would be, seeing as it involved rolling out the dough and cutting it, but it turned out to be very easy and pretty quick! And I even found a new use for my ravioli cutter - biscuits! 

After rolling and cutting the scones into small biscuits and layering them on a sheet, I was surprised that they didn't rise more once out of the oven, but they turned out so uniformly that I didn't really mind. Sure, there is something to be said for more rustic-looking scones, but for presentation, I think these ones looked quite lovely. They were a gift, after all. Plus, the little rippled edge from the ravioli cutter turned out to be a very nice touch. And the cranraisin peaking through the dough added a nice touch of colour.

I, of course had to sample one (or two) before giving them away (no great chef sends out a dish without a taste test), and they really were a light and fluffly snack, not too sweet, and the hint of lemon/orange really came through. This recipe yielded me about 24 scones, so I gave the majority of them to Diane, a few to my mom and dad, and kept a few at home for us (they packed quite easily in our carry-on for a quick snack on the go). 

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

1/2 cup shortening, cold

1/3 cup dried black currants (or other dried fruit of choice)

1 tbsp grated lemon zest (I also added a bit of orange zest)

1 cup 35% cream (I substituted half and half, 10%)

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees.

USING a coarse grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the shortening, and with your fingertips, break it up into small pieces. Combine the mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Stir in the currants and lemon zest. Add the cream, gently working the mixture until the flour is incorporated and the dough forms a ball. 

TURN the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 1" thickness. Dip a 2" round cookie cutter into some flour and stamp out the scones. Press any scraps together and repeat. 

PLACE the scones 2" apart on a parchment paper-lines baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops with some cream and sprinkle with a little sugar. 

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes until the scones are lightly golden on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Best served hot from the oven.