A Scone of Contention
Page 25
½ c. buttermilk or plain yogurt
1–3 tsp. of sharp mustard, if that appeals
Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into the dry mixture, using a pastry cutter. You want the butter to be in pea-sized pieces—try not to overwork the dough. Shred the cheese and chop the scallions, and stir these into the butter-flour mixture. Whip together the egg plus yolk, the buttermilk or yogurt, and mustard if using, and mix until the dough is moist.
Pat the dough onto a floured surface or parchment—I like a circle—and then cut into six or eight wedges, depending on the size you prefer. Transfer to a parchment-covered baking sheet. Paint the saved egg white on the tops of the scones, and sprinkle with shredded cheddar.
Bake at 375º for about 20 minutes or until the tops are browning.
Serve piping hot with more butter if you like!
Sam’s Sort of Scottish Creamed Vegetable Soup
I make a lot of creamed vegetable soups in the colder seasons, but this one from Sam was so yummy, with a deep but light celery flavor.
Ingredients
1 large leek, white and light green parts
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 T. butter
2 stalks of celery
1 large turnip
2 medium potatoes
1 celeriac root
1 box good-quality chicken stock
1 tsp. white pepper
¼ c. milk or to taste
Clean the leek well so you don’t get grit in your dinner. Chop the leek, onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté these in melted butter on low heat until soft. Add the chicken broth.
Add the remainder of the vegetables and simmer until soft. I simmered the celeriac for 10 minutes before adding potatoes and turnip, because it felt firmer than the other vegetables when I cut it.
When the vegetables are soft, stir in the pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetable mixture until smooth. Add milk to your preferred thickness.
Taste for seasoning, and serve with cheese scones and a salad.
Cranachan
Scottish Cranachan was one of the signature desserts Hayley and company ate in Scotland at the Loch Long Hotel, along with sticky toffee pudding. It’s so easy and yet so fancy looking—it would be quite at home at a dinner party.
Ingredients
3 T. rolled oats
1 pint of fresh raspberries
1 c. heavy cream or whipping cream
1 to 3 T. Scotch whiskey
2 T. honey
Toast the oats in a pan (no oil needed) until beginning to brown. (Watch carefully so they don’t burn.)
Whip the cream until almost thick, then add the honey and whiskey—to taste. I used one T. of whiskey, and we agreed it could have used more. Fold the toasted oats into the cream.
Alternate layers of cream and fruit in a tall glass, ending with a dollop of cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This amount makes 4 smaller servings or 3 large. Can be doubled or tripled as needed!
Banana Date Scones
On one of our first days during our trip to Scotland, John and I got separated for a bit in the little town of Melrose. And he came back with an incredible banana date scone that he’d found in a small bakery. Actually, it was only part of a small scone because he had eaten the other half. I’ve been craving another ever since. I’ve tried to re-create them for you here. Hayley made these for Miss Gloria before they left on their trip.
Ingredients
1⅝ c. flour
c. brown sugar
2¼ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
⅜ cup cold unsalted butter
⅓ c. sour cream (could also be whole milk plain yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ripe banana
½ c. chopped dates
Mix all the dry ingredients (up through the salt) together well. Cut in the cold butter until it’s the size of small peas.
Mash the banana well, and stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Mix well. Add the dates and stir those in. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry.
Knead the dough briefly, and shape it into a circle on a floured surface. Flatten the circle and cut it into six pieces. Bake this at 425º for 10 to 12 minutes. I left it in for 10, and it could have used one or two more.
Serve with more butter and jam if you like it.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
We had this cake several times in Scotland, and it’s delicious. Don’t even think about skipping the caramel sauce!
Ingredients
¾ c. pitted, quartered dates
¾ c. water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. white sugar
2 eggs
1 c. flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
For Sticky Toffee Sauce
¼ c. firmly packed brown sugar
½ c. cream
2 T. unsalted butter
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Place the dates, water, and vanilla in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer until soft, which might take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the baking soda, mix well. Let the mixture cool. Meanwhile …
Cream butter with sugars. Beat in the eggs. Add the dry ingredients and finally the cooled date mixture. (Do not worry about leaving little chunks of dates—they will provide some nice texture.) Pour the batter into a well-buttered cake pan. (I also added a layer of parchment paper and buttered that for good measure.) Bake at 350º about 40–50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a platter.
For the sauce, mix brown sugar, cream, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until thick, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add a splash of vanilla.
Poke holes in the cake and pour the sauce overall.
Serve warm if possible, with ice cream or whipped cream.
Coronation Chicken
This was one of the first lunches we had on our Scottish vacation. I saw “coronation chicken” listed on the menu and had to know what it was. It turns out to be curried chicken, but not just any curried chicken. The recipe was developed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Jacket potatoes are baked potatoes served with the crispy skin left on.
There is no slapping of curry powder into mayonnaise and proclaiming it done (which I have been guilty of myself.) The dish can be served as a sandwich (the real English versions insist this should be soft white bread), as a salad, or as the topping on a baked potato. One recipe called for Major Grey’s chutney, another for chopped dried apricots, and others for chopped fresh mango. I chose good apricot jam and mango for this version. You could substitute whole yogurt or sour cream for the whipped cream if this seems too rich.
Ingredients
2–3 c. fresh roasted chicken*
1 T. butter
1–2 tsp. curry powder
1 small red onion, diced
1 T. tomato paste
¼ c. water or chicken broth
⅓ c. white wine
2 T. apricot jam
½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. whipped cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
Cayenne to taste
Fresh diced mango
Slivered almonds or scallions or both
2 baked potatoes
I roasted a large chicken the night before I made this salad, but you could use a roast chicken from the deli counter or bake chicken breasts and shred them. While you’re preparing the sauce, put the potatoes in the oven at 350º for an hour to an hour and a half, until soft inside and crispy outside.
Melt the butter, stir in the curry and chopped onion, and cook over medium heat for a couple minutes, being careful not to burn. Add the tomato paste, water, and lemon juice. Simmer th
e mixture until reduced by about half, and quite thick. Mix in the apricot jam and a sprinkle of cayenne, and set this aside to cool.
In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the whipped cream. Stir in the curry mixture when it has cooled off. Fold in the chicken and then the mango, along with almonds or scallions as you prefer.
Refrigerate the chicken mixture until you’re ready to serve. Cut the potatoes open, and squeeze them to allow space for the chicken to be piled on top. Serve with a salad and green vegetable. I don’t know if Queen Elizabeth would have been happy with this version, but we found it rich and delicious!
* This amount of sauce could easily have covered 3 cups of shredded chicken.
Scottish Cheese Shortbread
While on the trip to Scotland that became the backdrop for the next Key West mystery, you can bet that I paid close attention to the food. They make wonderful cheese in the British Isles, but they don’t generally serve it at cocktail hour as we do in the United States. On our Scottish menus, a cheese plate was frequently offered as a dessert option. Although I did try the sticky toffee pudding and Scottish Cranachan that are specialties in the country, I often chose the cheese. I think these delicate but spicy cheese crackers would make a wonderful addition to a cheese plate, whether served as an appetizer or dessert.
Ingredients
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz. extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
Beat the butter together with flour and the two kinds of pepper until mixed. Beat in the grated cheese until the dough begins to pull together.
Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and shape it into a roll. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for half an hour or more.
Preheat the oven to 350º. Slice the log into rounds, about ¼-inch thick, and arrange these on baking sheets covered with parchment.
Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
Cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets, and then move to a rack or plate to finish cooling. You will need to remind your guests that these aren’t sweet cookies, but then they will vanish …
Cinnamon Scones from the Kitchen of Violet and Bettina Booth
I crave that prize-winning recipe that the Booth sisters shared with Hayley—as you may crave it by now as well! This recipe is my closest approximation. I cannot vouch for how close it comes to the prize winner, but it’s awfully good. There seem to be several secrets to making light scones. Freeze and grate the butter. Work the dough as little as possible. And keep it cold in between steps.
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (don’t skimp on quality here—I used Penzeys)
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen (I like Irish Kerrygold)
½ c. heavy cream (plus 2 T. for brushing)
½ c. packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For the icing
1 c. confectioner’s sugar
3 T. freshly-brewed coffee
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Grate the frozen butter onto a plate. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the butter is the size of peas.
In another bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, vanilla, egg, and brown sugar. Mix this lightly into the flour and butter mixture. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the dough into a disk, and with a floured knife cut the disk into eight triangles. Put the scone dough back into the refrigerator while the oven heats to 400º. Move the parchment with the scones onto a baking sheet. Paint the scone tops with the remaining cream and sprinkle them with sugar.
Bake the scones for 20–22 minutes until they begin to brown. You could serve them as is, but why leave off the killer icing?
For the icing, whisk the confectioner’s sugar with coffee and vanilla until smooth. If you don’t like the idea of coffee, you could substitute milk. But honestly, that hint of coffee is amazing! When the scones have cooled, drizzle them with icing. (You will probably have leftovers, which can be used on your next batch. Or eaten with a spoon—just sayin’ …)
We froze the extras that weren’t eaten on the spot, and they were delicious when defrosted.
Also available by Lucy Burdette
Key West Food Critic Mysteries
The Key Lime Crime
A Deadly Feast
Death on the Menu
Killer Takeout
Fatal Reservations
Death with All the Trimmings
Murder with Ganache
Topped Chef
Death in Four Courses
An Appetite for Murder
Author Biography
Lucy Burdette is a clinical psychologist who has published over fifteen mysteries. Her books have been shortlisted for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. A member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime, she spends her time between Madison, Connecticut, and Key West, Florida.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reaction to the recipes contained in this book.
Copyright © 2021 by Roberta Isleib
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-624-7
ISBN (ePub): 978-1-64385-625-4
Cover illustration by Griesbach/Martucci
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
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First Edition: August 2021
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