Vanilla Scones with Strawberry Cream

Forget the steam engine, the industrial revolution, or heck even the English language. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest Great Britain's greatest contribution to the world will always be their afternoon tea ritual and subsequently all the delicious nibbles associated with it. Okay, so I probably exaggerated a teensy tiny bit but the fact of the matter is, I really really like afternoon tea (and morning tea). There's nothing better than taking some time out in the middle of a busy day to just sit and enjoy a quiet spot of tea with homemade scones.  It's one of my greatest indulgences and a daily ritual I uphold with the utmost importance. It's right up there alongside wearing underwear and brushing my teeth (yes I have a problem).

Now when it comes to the world of scones, they exist in every form imaginable. Savory, sweet, citrus, cheese, raisins, pumpkin, potato, bacon, onion, the list goes on. But my favourite way to have them is the traditional way- plain with clotted cream and jam (strawberry jam that is). This recipe is a slight variation on the basic scone. The use of cream rather than butter results in a scone that still remains soft even when cold (fellow scone aficionados will understand the importance of this statement). I also find by adding fresh strawberries to the usual cream and jam mixture to give the scones a little tartness and a better bite. Try it out next time, you'll see what I mean.

 

Vanilla Scones

1 cup cream

1 cup milk

4 cups plain flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 200C degrees and line tray with baking paper. 

2. Sift flour, sugar and a pinch of salt into large bowl.

3. Combine cream, milk and vanilla extract and add to dry ingredients.

4. Using a flat-bladded knife, slowly 'cut' the mixture together. The key is to combine but not over mix.

5. Roll out the dough onto a clean surface, knead until smooth and flatten to approximately 25mm thickness. Note, kneading too much will result in a tough texture. 

6. Use cookie cutters to cut each scone out and transfer to prepared baking tray. Lightly sprinkle flour over each scone.  

7. Bake for 10 minutes or until scones have risen and are slightly coloured. Cover with a tea towel and leave the scones on the tray for 10 minutes.

* Recipe yields roughly 20 scones 5cm in size. 

Strawberry Cream 

1 handful of fresh strawberries sliced

2 tbsp strawberry jam

2/3 cup of double cream 

1. Spoon strawberry jam into bowl and stir till softened.

2. Add cream to jam mixture and lightly swirl to combine. Do not over mix. 

3. Add sliced strawberries to mixture.

4. Pile onto warm scones, prepare to scoff down the lot. 

* You can substitute fresh whipped cream for double cream. 

Strawberry Love Heart Friand

It may have been more than a month since my last recipe post, but this one is quite worth the wait. Introducing the Friand, a dainty little cake that's as synonymous with Australian cafe culture as the latte and yo-yo (see previous post). In fact, they're so common here that the swanky hipster cafes don't even stock them. For those who are unfamiliar, what makes these little cakes unique is their large almond-meal to flour ratio.

Friands originated from french cuisine and are also known as financier. These tiny cakes are light, moist and beautiful in their simplicity. I also like to think that they are moderately healthy given their composition of almond-meal and egg whites (although the addition of butter and sugar will inevitably cancel out that last statement). They are typically found in a assortment of berry and citrus flavours or sometimes simply plain.

I've had this idea of cutting love hearts out of strawberries ever since I was forced to get creative with feeding my toddler (oh, the joys of motherhood). Since friands also happen to be my mum's favourite treat, I thought, what better way to show love and appreciation than to embed little love hearts in them for her.

 

 

 

 

Strawberry Love Heart Friand

Ingredients

150g icing sugar

190g butter

60g plain flour

120g almond meal

5 egg whites

6 strawberries

Zest of one lemon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease pan and lightly dust with flour. 

2. Separate egg yolks and whites. Lightly froth egg whites 

3. Heat butter on stove top over medium heat, let it bubble away till golden brown. Remove and keep warm. 

4. While butter is bubbling away, zest one lemon and add to egg white.

5. Sift icing sugar and flour into a bowl then add in almond meal.

6. Make a well, gradually stir in the egg whites and heated butter. Combine till smooth.

7. Fill each friand till two thirds full. Insert strawberry halves or fruit of choice. Another alternative is to puree fruit and mix into batter. 

8. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Insert skewer to check if it comes out clean. 

9. Cool on a wire rack, dust with icing before serving.

*Recipe yields 12

*Any bar or loaf type pans can be used. Traditionally friands were known as little gold bars, but nowadays they come in all shapes and sizes. Best to stay away from any mould larger than a cupcake.

*Passionfruit, blueberry and nuts are all popular additions. 

Don't forget my Madamoiselle Felee giveaway is still going on. It's open to international readers and ends Monday 24th September. Click here for more details. 

Fresh Strawberries with Balsamic Reduction

It's strawberry season again!  I took the girls strawberry picking yesterday, they had so much fun playing out in the sunshine and eating fresh berries. We never actually got around to picking any berries ourselves.  I did make sure we didn't leave empty handed so we came home with a bucket of pre-picked strawberries instead. 

For me, the best way to enjoy strawberries is to just wash and eat. However, this recipe for a balsamic reduction dressing really brings out the strawberry's natural flavours. In fact it's so good that I don't think I can go back to having fresh berries without a little balsamic sauce on the side. Try it out, you won't be disappointed! 

xx Jenee C.

Fresh picked local strawberries.

Prep strawberries while sauce is reducing.

Reduce balsamic vinegar and brown sugar till sauce thickens.

Drizzle on sauce and enjoy! 

Ingredients

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 pint fresh strawberries

Method

1. Wash strawberries.

2. Combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil, let sauce reduce and thicken on medium heat about 7 minutes. Be careful not to caramelise the sauce, add more balsamic vinegar if that happens. 

3. Prep strawberries however way you prefer, garnish with icing sugar and mint or basil leaf. 

4. Drizzle on balsamic sauce and serve.

5. Store extra sauce to use on salads, fruit etc. 

* More strawberry recipes to come...