Category Archives: Food

Blazing Cupcakes

Posted on by

IMG_3507I don’t know if any of you remember a cake I made a few weeks ago that I called Fireman’s Cake.
It went over pretty well, so I decided to make it again as cupcakes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup powdered chocolate
  • 1  tsp.  baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. hot paprika
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup strong Lapang Souchong Tea (feel free to substitute another liquid)
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 cup dark molasses (not black strap)
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

 

For the Frosting:

  •  ½ pound softened butter
  • 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 – 4 Tbsp. heavy cream
  • additional heavy cream or sugar as needed
  • Sugar for the top

Step 1, Prepare ye the way: Pre-heat the oven to 350, and prepare the cupcake pans. I use papers and spray a bit of olive oil in them so the cakes some out more easily, but it’s your choice. This makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.
Also assemble all the ingredients on the counter.
Step 1, B: Crap! How could we run out of that?!?

IMG_3504

 

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift the flour, chocolate, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, paprika, and pepper. Set aside.

 

Step 3, mixing the wet ingredients: in a big bowl, mix the warmIMG_3503 tea and carefully (!) add the baking soda (this is like the elementary school volcano experiment, but also like my soft pretzel/laugen recipe), whisking it smooth. After the foaming subsides, whisk in and dissolve molasses, the brown and white sugars, and the butter, and then, as it cools,  the eggs.

Step 4, combining:  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, maybe about a third at a time, mixing thoroughly. You don’t want pockets of dry, floury ingredients.

Step 5, putting it in the pan/pans: Add half the mixture to the prepared pan/pans, sprinkle this with half of the chocolate chips, then pour in the rest of the mixture and sprinkle with (you guessed this, didn’t you) the rest of the chips. They should sink into the batter.

Hot cupcakesStep 6, pop it in the oven for baby & me: bake the pans at 350 for 20 minutes or more, depending on the size of pans you chose, or until you can stick a toothpick in it and pull it out without it being covered with batter. Take it out, let it sit for a minute or so, then take it from the pan onto a wire rack to cool all the way.

 

Part the Second: the frosting

Step 7, beat it! beat it! in a mixer, beat the softened butter. Add in the powdered sugar, and mix slowly at first (avoiding a sweet dust storm), then go up to medium.

Step 8, Add-ins: Add in the salt, the vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of cream. IMG_3513If it is too runny, add more sugar, likewise more cream if it is too stiff. Whip it to your preference. (send me your 50 Shades or other off-color joke to insert here)

Step 9, Frost: frost it as you like. I like using a cookie press for the designs of the nozzle, but I can’t ever find mine.

 

IMG_3524Part the Third: the finishing touch (optional)

Step 10, Smoke: Scorch some sugar and sprinkle it on top. A sugar cube scorched with a Brûlée Torch is an idea. I sprinkled some brown sugar and a pinch of sea salt on a very hot griddle, and then drizzled this on the frosting.
This is dangerously hot!

IMG_3517

Step 11, Share: take it to work or to the house of someone you love. Or freeze them to thaw later.


 

Fireman’s Cake

Posted on by

I apologize that I have been having trouble with the recipes; everything at the Bistro is still really topsy-turvy and cattywampus, and I’m not sure how we will get it together again. The kitchen, despite our best efforts, is a disaster area. Besides that, the staffing is complicated. Peirce has gone on a trip to Canada, Wode is still AWOL, one of us has a short term gig as an assassin, and one of us is doing an obscure Tennessee Williams play.

HFiremen's Cake (1)owever, Mousy & I did put together a cake for the Milligan College Library’s 4th Annual Edible Books Festival. It was a Fireman’s Cake, themed around Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. It was a  Double-Dark Chocolate & Hot Pepper Cake with Lapang Souchong Tea (smokey)Frosting and a Chocolate Chip Cookie cover.

 

The cake was a variation on my standard cake recipe, and we made cupcakes with the extra:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flourHot cupcakes

  • 3/4 cup powdered chocolate
  • 1  tsp.  baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. hot paprika
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup strong Lapang Souchong Tea
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 cup dark molasses (not black strap)
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

The frosting was pretty standard:

  •  ½ pound softened butter
  • 3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 Tbsp. Lapang Souchong (拉普山小種) Tea, steeped, then boiled down to very intense.
  • additional heavy cream or sugar as needed

Cookie!The book cover was a standard Tool-House cookie recipe, baked out on a baking pan, and the detail work was melted chocolate.

Toasted Chickpeas, Peppers & Grits.

Posted on by

Chickpeas & GritsI know; it doesn’t sound like much of a thrill, but I was trying to come up with an alternative to Savannah style shrimp & grits–realizing that it’s the peppers & onions & cheesy grits that really make that dish. I could call it Broiled Vegatables & Garbanzos on Cheese Grits & Arugula with a Basalmic Tap Broiled Vegetables & Roasted Chick Peas on Cheese Grits & Arugula with a Basalmic & Olive Tapenade Drizzle, but that seems a bit long..
The roasted chickpeas (garbanzos) can also be used for other dishes, or in salads, Chickpeas on a salad etc. Other similar things could be substituted (I considered my Sriracha & Garlic toasted soybeans, but that seemed too crunchy).
Warning: this is a very vague recipe. Experiment with it, or improvise. If you prefer hotter peppers, by all means use hotter peppers. If you are vegan, skip the cheese & butter or find a substitute. No recipe at the Bistro is ever carved in stone.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans
  • Butter & Spices to taste
  • ! cup Grits.
  • 2 cups Water
  • ! cup heavy Cream
  • 4-6 oz. Cheese (I used Boar’s Head Swiss)
  • Olive Oil or Butter
  • Several different colored Sweet Peppers to taste
  • Red Onion to taste
  • Several carrots, shaved into longish strips
  • some sliced Purple Cabbage (optional)
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • Arugula
  • Balsamic Vinegar, Tapenade, Pesto or Sriracha for drizzle.

Part the First: Roasting the Chickpeas

Step 1, Prepare ye the way: Pre-heat the oven to 375. Drain & rinse a can of Garbanzo beans, then dry them somewhat. You can lay them out on a towel or paper towel, or come up with something more creative.

Step 2, toast! Spread the beans evenly on a dry iron skillet and place in the oven. Let toast for 20 minutes, or until the beans start to become crunchy.

Step 3, and toast some more: Take the beans out, add some butter & spices, roll them about, and return them to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Part the Second: Cheese Grits

Step 4, Bubble, bubble, toil & trouble: In a medium to large pan, bring 2 1/2 cups of Water to a boil. Add the heavy cream & heat. Stir in the grits gradually, either stirring or whisking until it begins to bubble. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes or so.

Part the Third: Roasting the rest

Step 5, more preparing: Clean & slice the vegetables into long strips or slices.

Step 6, Yum! Cheese! Add the Cheese and some more butter (possibly salt, depending on the cheese) to the grits, and stir)

Step 7, broiling: About 10 or 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, add the peppers, onions, etc to the chickpeas, drizzle with olive oil, toss, and place under a broiler. Remove every few minutes and toss again, repeating until it starts to brown but is still firm. On the last toss, add the clove of garlic, minced.

Step 8, Share & Enjoy! It is plated  by putting down a bed of Arugula, spooning a generous helping of grits on that, then arranging the roasted mixture on that, or by putting in a serving bowl in a similar manner. You may drizzle if you want.
Chickpeas & grits left over

It is also good left over.

 

Making Tea

Posted on by

In its simplest form, tea is an infusion in hot water of dried leaves from  a bush originating in Asia whose formal name is Camellia Sinensis,GF Almond Scones 2 tea to closer friends. Technically. tea is only a beverage made from this plant, but other herbal infusions are referred to as tea by analogy.

The simplest way is to oil a kettle of cold water, add to a mug, and add a tea bag. You allow this to brew or steep for 3-5 minutes, take the bag out and enjoy.

A more thorough preparation isn’t difficult, but is more time-consuming. Each step is simple and easy, but there are steps, and that makes it more of a ritual than a recipe.

Don’t make tea in advance. Have all the ingredients ready, but make it when you are to serve it. It should be fresh.

firePut fresh, cold water in the kettle, the wait for the boil. It can come to a boil, but is better if it is only just there.
Take the teapot you intend to use, and pour hot water into it to warm it up. Swish it around a bit and pour it into the sink; this can either be as a cleansing votive offering, or just a way of stinging the trolls who live in your U-joint.
Measure the loose-leaf tea you have chosen into the now warm teapot. The standard is a teaspoon for each guest and an extra one. I prefer strong tea, so I add a heaping teaspoon of tea leaves for each guest, and an extra one in case Mousey or Wode Toad come to visit.
Add in the hot water (it should have boiled, but should not be boiling), cover, and allow the tea to steep at least 3 minutes, since I like strong tea I would say longer, but you should experiment: too soon is too weak, too late becomes bitter, or acquires a tinny, unpleasant edge.Classroom Tea strainer
Pour for your guests first, and then for yourself, laying a tea strainer over each cup as you pour.

Tea can be served a variety of ways.
There are choices of sweeteners, such as sugar, sugar cubes, rock sugar–either dissolved in the tea or in the mouth as you drink, honey, or even a little bit of jam.
There are choices of add-ins, including the standard milk of the British Isles and former colonies. This can be cold or warmed. It really does taste different if you put the milk in first. Americans tend to like a little lemon. Another interesting add in from Germany is a Tablespoon (or more) of rum.

Most of all, take your time, enjoy the tea, and enjoy your company.

Tea.

Posted on by

I used to teach two philosophy courses, a course on Ancient philosophy titled “How to live well,” and a course on Modern philosophy I called “How to be human.” Because each of them only met once a week, they were 3 hours long. I can certainly talk for 3 hours, but classes are much better as a conversation, and their energy would begin to flag part way through.

At this point we would break for tea.

Classroom Tea (3)Sometimes, I had cookies, but generally I would just buy a variety of apples at the local farm stand–they go quite well with tea. After the tea, they would have more energy (though often less concentration), and the conversation would assume a more relaxed, mellow character of give and take and exploration.
Many of my students have made tea a regular part of their lives, which I find gratifying. A higher proportion of boys in their 20s own teapots thanks to me, which means they have learned something important about being human and living well.

Why tea?

There are many rituals that involve meeting around a table and sharing food. Some are more time consuming, but sharing a pot of tea can be done fairly simply, and instantly involves sitting together and interacting. It is something that is made, so it involves a little bit of an individual touch, and Tea and Scones for my classa personal touch. The host has a position of control, but also must assume a servant role as he or she serves the tea, asking about milk, sugar, cookies, etc. One already has some small talk asking and answering these questions. Tea is a caffeinated beverage, but generally doesn’t signal the need for intense stimulation that coffee does, leaving instead a more gentle, thoughtful visit (don’t’ get me wrong; I love coffee, too).

It is civilized, and civilizing.

Asian Teapot (6)There is also the ritual of preparing the tea, which, like most rituals, can be relaxing and meditative itself. Cold water in the kettle, the wait for the boil, pouring hot water in the tea pot to warm it up, and then offering it up as a cleansing votive offering. Measuring out a teaspoon of tea leaves for each guest, and an extra one in case Mousey or Wode Toad come to visit. Adding in the hot water (it should have boiled, but should not be boiling), and allowing the tea to steep–I would say at least 3 minutes, since I like strong tea, but you should experiment: too soon is too weak, too late becomes bitter, or acquires a tinny, unpleasant edge.

At this point, the variety begins: with milk? poured in before the tea? (try it, it tastes different) sugar? one lump or two? rock sugar? honey? a bit of jelly in the tea to sweeten it? lemon?
Would you like something with that?

Tea is part of what we want to be. Yes, we want to be classy, like the British upper-crust of the 19th century, but sharing tea makes us–or allows us–to do things that make us better. We automatically become more polite–in part because of the atmosphere it creates, but also because of all the interaction:
Tea with Mousy (5)“Would you like sugar?”
“Yes, please.”
“Milk?”
“No, thank you.”
“Here you go…”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
More than that, it is shared. It involves the gentle gift of hospitality, and the gracious gift of appreciation. It involves a sensual pleasure that is shared–although it is one which is appropriate and can be talked about in public. Most of all, it moves at a slower pace than doing shots of Jägermeister. It is tea time; it is taken at its own speed, sitting and relaxing.

Sensual joy, physical sustenance, engaging in little comforting rituals, giving, receiving, and sharing hospitality, slowing down in order to have a conversation, listening, being polite–perhaps even witty–most of all, taking the time to sit down and engage with another human being–these and more are the elements that go into tea.

Isn’t that really what being human and living well are about?
220signature

England can drink locally grown tea!

Posted on by

Tregothnan_cornwall-camel-v_1488965c

Although we associate growing tea with warmer places, like Kenya or India, apparently there is a place in Cornwall, a little corner of the Scepter’d Isle, that has  mini-ecosystem that is an anomaly, a fluke, and which is the perfect climate for growing tea.
Tregothnan_Cornwall_morris_edited

The estate is the home of the Boscawens, the Viscounts Falmouth. It was sacked during the Civil War (goofy round-heads! what were you thinking!?!) but rebuilt shortly later in 1652. Camellia plants have been cultivating the plants on the Tregothnan estate for more than 200 years, but more recently they began to grow Camellia Sinensis, the tea bush, more seriously, and in the last ten years have built up the plantation as a commercial venture.

They sell a variety of teas, and a larger variety of infusions at http://tregothnan.co.uk/tea-plantation/, for all you tea snobs out there, but I think the shipping is too expensive.
Anyone up for a field-trip?
Allons-y!

Waltzing (3 Beets)

Posted on by

One of the things my mom taught me about food was to plan the plate so that there were a variety of colors. This is visually interesting, but also works nutritionally: Carbs tend to be white or tan, whereas healthy, fresh vegetables come in an amazing array of beet salad 1colors. Tans, browns, and greens are fairly easy–even yellows–but brighter oranges, reds, purples, are more rare.
This is a basic broiled beet recipe that can be served 3 ways. As my friend the beet expert points out, raw beets have most nutritional benefit, but these are a good dish. Also, you can just broil beets with a little olive oil and salt, and eat them like that.

First possibility: Broiled Beets

Ingredients:

  • 4 beets
  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • !/3 red cabbage
  • 1/2 red onion
  • olive oil
  • soy sauce or salt
  • red wine
  • other spices as desired
  • 3 cloves garlic

Step 1, Prepare ye the way: Scrub the skins of the beets & the sweets potatoes, and slice them about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch (you could peel them, but lots of nutrients are in the skin; texture, too).slice the cabbage and onion.

Step 2, Shake it up, Baby:Toss the vegetables together, with some olive oil and a bit of soy sauce & red wine. Oil a large iron skillet and put in the vegetables.

Step 3. Turn on the heat: Broil on high, taking out and tossing every 6 minutes, until the edges of the sweet potatoes and beet start to caramelize (“brown” if you aren’t familiar with kitchen lingo, “caramelise” if you prefer English, if you are a real geek, “Maillardize”–however the browning of the onions is pyrolysis because it is non-enzymatic).

Step 4, Watch out! It can burn: Repeat this 4 or 5 (or more) times, beet salad 2until the roots are cooked, but still firm, browned, but not burnt. When you are almost there, add the garlic., and put it back in (warmed garlic is aromatic, burnt garlic is nasty).

Step 5, to table: Serve as a delicious, nutritious and colorful side dish, either in the hot skillet (oh, the drama) or in a dish (oh, I can pass it).

Second possibility: Broiled Beet Salad

beet salad 3Only Step, Salad: Add a bit of vinegar, perhaps some more spices like rosemary to the broiled beets, perhaps some sliced carrots, allow it to cool, and serve it as a salad, or pack it (warm) in a big Mason Jar, and then let it cool and take it on a picnic.

Third possibility: Broiled Beet Soup

If you do this, I recommend undercooking the vegetables.

Step 1, Out of the skillet, into the soup pan: Transfer the vegetables into a soup pot, deglaze with wine, and add vegetable broth.

Step 2, A few extra things: Add a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans for texture and protein, cover and let simmer.Beets & Bialys jan 21 (2)

Step 3, Serve: Spice as desired, and serve with either Bialys or dark bread, and the option of sour cream. Another option is to mix the soup before serving with sour cream or crème fraise, which makes it a garish pepto-bismol pink.

Destiny Cake (I don’t really have a better name)

Posted on by

Ingredients:
for the cake:

  •  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup powdered chocolate
  • 1  tsp.  baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • dash ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 cup dark molasses (not black strap)
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

for the cherry butter-cream frosting:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • dash vanilla
  • 12 Tbsp softened butter
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cherry juice
  • 1 Tbsp Kirsch (cherry brandy)

for the chocolate ganache glaze:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • slivered almonds to taste

Destiny_Cake_3Part the First: the Cake

Step 1, Prepare ye the way: Pre-heat the oven to 350, grease & flour the pan or pans, line with parchment covered with almond slices if you like; I think this makes one Bundt cake, two smaller cakes and two or three loaves–smaller is actually better, since it can take forever to cook in the middle..  Also assemble all the ingredients on the counter.

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift the flour, chocolate, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Set aside.

Step 3, mixing the wet ingredients: in a medium saucepan (leave room; there will be foam), heat the wine–not boiling, but hot. Take it off the burner, and carefully (!) add the baking soda (this is like the elementary school volcano experiment, but also like my soft pretzel/laugen recipe), whisking it smooth. After the foaming subsides, whisk in and dissolve molasses, the brown and white sugars, and the butter, and then, as it cools,  the eggs.

Step 4, combining:  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, maybe about a third at a time, mixing thoroughly. You don’t want pockets of dry, floury ingredients.

Step 5, putting it in the pan/pans: Add half the mixture to the prepared pan/pans, sprinkle this with half of the chocolate chips, then pour in the rest of the mixture and sprinkle with (you guessed this, didn’t you) the rest of the chips. They should sink into the batter.

Step 6, pop it in the oven for baby & me: bake the pans at 350 for 35 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of pans you chose, or until you can stick a toothpick in it and pull it out without it being covered with batter. Take it out, let it sit for a minute or so, then take it from the pan onto a wire rack to cool all the way.

Part the Second: the center frosting

Step 7, cherry-ho! in a mixer, combine the cherry ingredients and cop and puree until as smooth as possible, let this sit–the cherries should absorb the mixture so it isn’t too wet.

Step 8, sugar and egg whites: In a big bowl over a pot of boiling water (yes, sort of like a double boiler, but not as hot), whisk the egg whites and the sugar together until the sugar is no longer grainy, and the egg whites begin to whiten.

Step 9, mix and whip: add the mixture to a mixing bowl, and whip it until peaks begin to form and the mixture almost doubles., add the vanilla, and slowly add the butter, then the cherry mixture. Beat to frosting.

Step 10, stuffing: slice the cake or cakes into several layers, how many depends on how ambitious you are and how the cake holds up. I suggest 3. Frost the bottom slice with the cherry-butter-cream frosting, cover with the next & continue. Finally, top with the top, and shape the sides until smooth.

Part the Third: the ganache

Step 12, so rich and decadent: place the chips in a bowl, and heat the cream in a pan. Have the butter handy.

Step 13, more whipping: when the cream begins to boil, turn off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. As the chocolate melts, whisk it smooth. Add the butter and whisk.

Step 14, glazed and confused: pour the chocolate over the cakes, spreading with a spatula as needed. Do this quickly, since the chocolate will thicken pretty quickly. After it is all covered and smooth, you may cover with the almond slices, or just dust the edges with the almond slices. I left the top blank, and then decorated it with marzipan shapes and cyphers (ALEA IACTA EST).
Destiny_Cake_1
Step 15 share: Surprise a friend or mystify a co-worker. Serve for afternoon coffee with someone you love, deliver to a college student, enjoy life. Like life, this is rich; it is bitter & dark, but also intense and sweet (like some hearts…

Sweet Potato Pasta

Posted on by

Sweet Potato Pasta with Beet Hummus a light Tahini drizzleI was feeling creative this week and made a sweet potato & Moroccan spice  pasta with beet humus and a tahini drizzle. The colors are amazing, and the flavors are too.
I promised my source that I wouldn’t publish the beet hummus recipe at this time, since it is part of a research project on beets’ nutritional benefits, but I will try to at a later date.

Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  •  pinch salt
  • 3 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup baked sweet potato
  • ½ tsp Moroccan spices (Ras el hanout or رأس الحانوت )
Step 1, Sifting: Measure out the dry ingredients (flour & salt) into a sifter. Sift (I’ll bet you didn’t see that coming). You can do this the traditional way, onto a clean Sweet Potato Pasta3surface, or the easy way, into a large bowl.
Step 2, blending: in a food processor or blender, add your sweet potato and spices and chop it to a fine paste. Add the eggs and oil and blend. Put this mixture in the well in the flour.
Sweet Potato Pasta4Step 3, People, people who knead pasta: When mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, begin kneading with your hands or your bread hook. Knead dough for 8 to 12 minutes, adding flour as it will take it—the final bit by hand even if you are using a machine. The dough will be harder than bread dough, and smooth and flexible.

Step 4, let it sit: Wrap dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 5, Roll on: Roll out the dough with a pasta machine or a rollingSweet Potato Pasta5 pin to your desired thickness. For the ravioli, I rolled it to about a millimeter. For long Pasta, I prefer it pretty thin. Cut into your favorite style of noodle.

Step 6, cooking: Bring water to a boil in a large pot and add salt. Cook the pasta until al dente, 1 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Drain, treat, and eat.

Gluten-free Almond Scones

Posted on by

GF Almond Scones 1I am just finishing teaching a class on Ancient Philosophy which I call “How to Live Well.” Of course, part of learning that is learning to drink tea and eat scones, so I had them over for the last class & their presentations.
One of them, a very dear one, discovered last summer that she was sensitive to both Lactose and Gluten, so I had to come up with some substitutes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup Almond flour
  • 1 1/2 cup Rice flour
  • 1 cup gluten-free wheat flour
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  •  3 Tbsp chilled butter (margarine if lactose free)
  • 1 cup  Plain yogurt (coconut yogurt if lactose free)
  • 1 egg
  • Slivered almonds or raisins to taste.

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: Preheat the oven to 400°, assemble all the ingredients, run to the store for what you are missing (who finished the baking powder!?!), and grease two baking sheets.

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In one bowl sift (mix if you don’t have a sifter) the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3, pastry cutting: Cut in the ice cold sliced butter, using either a pastry cutter or a knife. I suppose some processer thingy can do this, too, but I don’t own one. The result should be crumbly.

Step 4, mixing the wet ingredients: In another bowl, mix the yoghurt and the egg.

Step 4, combining the big mess: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. The results might be a bit gloppy. Try not to overwork the dough. The consistency will be much firmer than batter, but a little more liquid than cookie dough, a little drier than raw muffin. Stir in nuts or dried fruit if you want.

Step 5, baking: Flouring your hands, form little scone sized patties out of the dough and put them on the greased. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. See how they look. Stick a toothpick in one and see if it comes out battery.

Final Step, share and enjoy They do make a handy breakfast, GF Almond Scones 2which is much easier to eat in the car than the pie. They are perfect for sharing over breakfast, or in the afternoon over tea, or for dropping by and giving to friends.