I made a batch of these cranberry and orange scones yesterday and freezed all but six of them since Joel and I can't or shouldn't eat an entire batch of scones by ourselves. I simply placed them on a baking sheet after I rolled and cut out the dough and put them in the freezer. Once they had frozen through I layered them with parchment paper in an air tight container. Now anytime we want fresh scones it will be a breeze! I'm actually going to try this with regular biscuits, what a joy to get a freshly baked treat without cleaning up the layer of flour that inevitably coats my entire kitchen!
Try using a lemon instead of an orange, or you could certainly eliminate any citrus at all but next time I think I'll enjoy using a nice Meyer lemon to give it a POP of flavor rather than the subtle sweetness of the orange.
Fresh Cranberry Scones
15-18 scones
4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons sugar (cut sugar back to 1/4 cup if using dried cranberries)
1/2 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons sugar (cut sugar back to 1/4 cup if using dried cranberries)
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (or one cup if using dried)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (or one cup if using dried)
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
Sugar Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy. Combine the cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy. Combine the cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.
Next, I tried my hand at some fresh cranberry salsa. Next time I'm going to make sure my hot chili pepper is actually hot because my finished dish really needed some heat behind it to call itself "salsa". What I ended up with was almost more of a relish. Blah...I've never been a cranberry relish fan. Sure turkey and cranberry relish taste good together, but after one bite I've had enough. Turkey should be served savory (with lots of GRAVY!) not sweet. But that's just my opinion. If you have a food processor this is super easy to make. Unfortunately, I have never replaced mine after leaving it behind in Seattle, so I tried dicing the cranberries with a knife and needless to say more ended up on my floor than my bowl. This salsa is tasty on top of any number of dishes, try adding it to your protein for a subtly sweet and spicy addition to your meal.
My genius of a husband wondered if this wouldn't be good with pomegranates instead (also in season) and I think he's really onto something! If using pomegranates there would be no need to add extra sugar as they are perfectly sweet enough on their own.
Fresh Cranberry Salsa
1 1/2 cups cranberries, diced (fresh or frozen)
1/2 apple, peeled and diced
1 Serrano or jalapeno chili to taste
4 tbsps sugar
1 orange zest
2 tbsps fresh
cilantro, chopped
1 dash lemon juice (to keep apples from turning brown)
1 dash salt
We are getting super excited about Thanksgiving! We are going sans turkey of course, but I'm looking forward to all my favorite side dishes; mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, roasted veggies, and mac & cheese....my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Time to find my comfy pants!
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