Scones with Plum Jam and Clotted Cream

Radio Four last week were tweeting about making the perfect scones. Scones are something I never feel like I have mastered. My Mum makes amazing ones, she has even shared her recipe with me but to no avail. I could just never get them to rise properly. When I saw that Radio 4 had come up with the perfect scone recipe I just had to try it especially as my plum jam needed testing out.

Mr VST and I cycled for two hours on Sunday and there happened to be some clotted cream in the village shop where we stopped for a drink. I thought it was a sign so I bought it and when we came home I went to make some scones. 

The first problem I encountered was having no milk. Well I did have some but it was frozen and I didn't want to wait for it to thaw properly before making scones. I decided that I would have to mess with the perfect scone recipe and use soya milk curdled with a teaspoon of cider vinegar in place of the milk, like a non-dairy buttermilk.

The recipe worked well even with my amendment. The scones were light and melted in the mouth. They went well with the clotted cream and plum jam too and it didn't seem to matter whether they were topped the Cornish way....

...or the Devonshire way.

You may be able to tell from these photos that the plum jam was rather runny which is why I reboiled it and added some lemon and liquid pectin, sadly you now have to slice the jam rather than pour it!

Wedding Bash

I was lucky enough to be invited to a work colleague's wedding bash last night. It was in a marquee overlooking the beautiful Devon countryside. It was a lovely evening, if a tad cold, and the bride and groom were very happy indeed, which was the most important thing of course! I had been forewarned that the evening food was being organised by the local branch of the Women's Institute and made sure I had plenty of room to accommodate their offerings. I was SO right to do that, the food was amazing. There was a hog roast, which of course I avoided, but instead extensively tested the salads, rice, pasta, Waldorf and quiches, tomato, mushroom and of course the sweets too. I had a few scones with clotted cream and home made gooseberry jam (my mouth is watering just typing this!) and mixed berry jam, flapjack and a delicious sultana cake. It was a lovely way to spend the evening.

Scones

My Mum bakes the best scones in the world. Well I would say that wouldn't I but she really does and usually they are huge. I asked her for the recipe way back in 2006 and she kindly emailed it to me so here it is. I'm even sharing her 'secret', I hope she doesn't mind.

Scone Recipe (I made 9 scones with this amount)

 

 

The SECRET of soft light scones is to dust the baking tin and the scones with flour before baking!

 

Ingredients

Rolled with my new Olive wood rolling pin

8oz plain flour

1/2 tspn salt

1tspn bicarb of soda

2 tspn cream of tartar

1 1/2 oz butter

1 1/2 oz castor sugar

1 egg beaten and made up to 1/4 pt with milk

2 oz raisins

 

Sift flour, salt, bicarb and cream of tartar (or use 4tspns baking powder).  Rub in butter, stir in sugar and rasins.  Make a well in centre and pour in egg mixture.  Mix together - its quite soft and shouldnt be sticky if it is add a bit more flour.

 

Roll out nice and thickly at least 1/2 inch but i make mine thicker.  Cut out scones

 

Grease and flour dust baking tray, then dust scones with flour too.

 

Bake in oven for 10mins on 220c or gas 7

 

Then eat while hot making sure you dont get indigestion!!!

These were Mr VST's. I do my scones properly with jam and the clotted cream. I think this proves that I do it the right way round and I quote "Executive general manager David Collas wrote: "I can confirm that we at The Ritz London would prefer to encourage the 'jam then cream' option as this is the traditional method of preparing scones."

The Devon vs Cornwall debate has been going on forever it seems! Despite being Cornish Mr VST makes his the Devonshire way around! Here's an article from the Guardian for more info.