Blueberry Cream Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I don't find coffee cake to be much of a temptation, but I get all weak-kneed if there are scones in the house. I simply can't resist them, particularly if they are made with sweet cream. Scones are not an everyday affair in my kitchen. I make them only for the holidays, because, truth be told, I could eat the entire batch if left to my own devices. I first sampled these scones at Central Market in Austin, Texas. It was love at first bite. I was able to get a copy of the recipe and was delighted to find that the scones are as easy to make as they are delicious to taste. While there is a bit of wait time involved, they can be made without special equipment and can be table ready in about 2-1/2 hours. The scones take 10 minutes to mix, 2 hours to chill and about 20 minutes to bake. To simplify breakfast, I usually chill them overnight and bake them just before serving. Austin's Central Market holds a special place in my heart. I love the community in which I live, but no one would ever dub its stores a food lover's paradise. Were it not for small ethnic markets and local farms, shopping in the diaspora would be a ho-hum affair at best. Not so Central Market, and I'm like a kid in a candy store on those occasions when I can shop there. It also holds a bit of my family history. My daughter and I learned to make tamales in a class they taught when she first moved to Austin. I'm still trying to figure out how she became more proficient at their assembly than me. I suspect it's another case of "the queen is dead, long live the queen". For the time being anyway, I still make better scones than she can. Here's my secret recipe. Be forewarned, if you share it with my firstborn I'll have to hurt you.

Blueberry Cream Scones...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Central Market

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup blueberries
1-1/4 cups heavy cream

Directions:
1) In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking power, and salt. Cut butter into dry ingredients. Stir in blueberries.
2) Add heavy cream and stir by hand just until dough forms. Dough will be soft and sticky. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
3) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough just holds together. Press dough into a 8 to 9-inch circle, 1-inch thick. Cut into wedges. Place scones on baking sheet and sprinkle scones with reserved sugar.
5) Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees or until scones are a light golden brown on top. Yield: 6 servings.







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Apfel Sahne Torte - Apple Cream Cake - Foodie Friday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you're here because you love to look, or you're here because you love to cook, I think this torte will delight you. I first had this confection as a child. Hannie made a version of Apple Cream Cake for Oktoberfest and again at Christmas for a vigil feast which was part of her holiday celebration. I still remember singing, "Ihr Kinderlein, Kommet, O kommet doch all!" while clustered around the piano in her front room on Christmas Eve. It's a lovely memory, triggered, strangely, by a recipe. That happens here a lot. Unlike Proust, I have many memories of things past. Oktoberfest, at least in Munich, ends on Sunday, so I thought this would be a great way to end the series of recipes we put together for the celebration. I must tell you that this is not a quick dessert. It's not hard to do, but there are several steps required to assemble it. The most time consuming is making applesauce to fill the layers of the torte. I can make this step instantly easier for you. If you don't want to make applesauce, buy a quart jar of the unsweetened variety and proceed with the recipe, adding sugar and flavorings, as though it were your own. Keep in mind that the torte is about apples, so get the best you can buy if you take that route. While I don't recommend it, you can also use whipped topping instead of whipped cream. You can also omit the rum if you must, but that would really be a shame. You'll want to make the torte a day before you plan to serve it, so the cake layers can begin to absorb the applesauce and cream. The layers are very thin. If you're adventurous or enjoy European, not too sweet, desserts you'll love this torte. Here's the recipe.

Apfel Sahne Torte - Apple Cream Cake ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Cake Layer
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large eggs,separated and at room temperature
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup dark rum (for brushing layers)
Applesauce
10-15 apples, peeled, cored, cut into chunks or 1 quart unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons rum or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
Frosting
1 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided use
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Cake Layer
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fit a 9-inch circle of waxed or parchment paper into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Grease and flour paper. Set aside.
2) Combine flour, baking powder and cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
3) In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with water. Add 1/3 cup of sugar and the vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until frothy and lemon colored.
4) In a separate small bowl, beat egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff but not dry. Fold into yolk mixture. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Applesauce
5) If using fresh apples, place apple chunks into a 3-quart saucepan and cook until very soft. Mash. If using prepared applesauce, place into saucepan and warm. Add sugar, rum or vanilla extract and lemon zest. Cook until mixture mounds in a spoon.
6) Soften gelatin in cold water. Place into a pan of simmering water and stir to dissolve. Stir gelatin into applesauce. Set aside to cool. Applesauce will thicken quickly in refrigerator.
Frosting
7) Combine almonds, 1 tablespoon sugar and butter in a nonstick frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until almonds turn a golden brown. Transfer to paper toweling to cool.
8) Soften gelatin in milk. Place in pan of simmering water and stir to dissolve. Cool.
9) Whip cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until it begins to thicken. Add gelatin and continue beating until soft peaks form.
Assembly
10) Remove cake from pan; split horizontally into two layers. Brush each layer with 2 tablespoons rum. Transfer one layer to a cake plate. Mound applesauce on top of layer. Cover with remaining layer and pat down to evenly distribute applesauce.
11) Generously frost top and sides of cake with whipped cream. If desired reserve some cream for decorating top of cake.
12) Pat almonds around sides and sprinkle on top of cake. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday