Ingredients:
* * *
1 deep unbaked pastry shell (9 inches) or buttery quiche crust, below
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon butter
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
3/4 cup crabmeat, chopped
Directions:
* * *
Preheat oven 450°. Line a pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer, then immediately sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over crust. Reduce oven heat to 375°. In a skillet, saute red pepper and onions in butter on medium-high heat until tender. While veggies are cooking, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning.
Stir in the crab, red pepper mixture and remaining cheese, and pour into crust.
* * *
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
* * *
Buttery Pastry Shell
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water
* * *
Directions:
* * *
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt, then cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
* * *
When dough is chilled, roll out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
Chocolate Cherry Hazelnut Scones
Ingredients:
* * *
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (preferably Mexican vanilla)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup dried sweet cherries
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
* * *
Directions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly butter a 9-inch diameter circle in the center of a baking sheet. In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and distribute evenly over flour mixture. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into the flour mixture. Stir together buttermilk, egg, and extract; add to the flour mixture, and stir to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts (the dough will be sticky).
* * *
Spread the dough into an 8 inch diameter circle (inside the buttered circle) on the baking sheet and cut into 8 wedges with a serrated knife. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar, then bake scones for 17 to 19 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer scones to the wire rack to cool and cut into wedges. Best served warm!
Lemon Blueberry Sunburst Scones
Ingredients:
Scones
* * *
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and work surface
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 heaping cup fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
Coarse sugar (for sprinkling)
* * *
Lemon Icing
* * *
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
* * *
Scones
* * *
Whisk flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater, then add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers, until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Put dough in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
* * *
Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the blueberries, then mix together until everything appears just moistened.
* * *
Pour dough onto the counter and, with floured hands, work it into a ball. The dough will be sticky; if it's too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more tablespoons of heavy cream. Press finished dough into an 8-inch disc and cut into 8 wedges.
* * *
Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Preheat oven to 400°F and place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. (If you want fresh scones in the morning, you can refrigerate them overnight.) Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s) and bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove scones from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with lemon icing.
* * *
Icing
* * *
Whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm scones.
Bonus Recipe: Maple Walnut Scones
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons whipping cream, more as needed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
Directions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk flour, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/2 cup maple syrup in small bowl to blend.
* * *
Gradually add cream mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dough comes together and adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently until smooth, about 5 turns. Using floured hands, pat out dough to form an 8-inch round; cut dough into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake scones for about 20 minutes, until golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to rack.
* * *
Meanwhile, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 6 tablespoons whipping cream and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in enough powdered sugar to form thick glaze.
* * *
Drizzle or spread glaze over warm scones. Let stand until glaze sets.
Acknowledgments
First, many thanks to my family, not just for putting up with me, but for continuing to come up with creative ways to kill people. (You should see the looks we get in restaurants.) And thank you to Andy Krell for coming up with the idea of centering a story around a fisheries observer!
Special thanks to the MacInerney Mystery Mavens (who h
elp with all manner of things, from covers to concepts), particularly Alicia Farage, Carol Swartz, Mandy Young Kutz, Kay Pucciarelli, Marissa Lee, Samantha Mann, Pat Warren Tewalt, Barbara Tobey, and Azanna Wishart, for their careful reading of the manuscript. What would I do without you???
Thanks (as always) to Bob Dombrowski for his incredible artwork. Kim Killion, as always, did an amazing job putting together the cover design, and Randy Ladenheim-Gil’s sharp editorial eye helped keep me from embarrassing myself. And finally, thank you to ALL of the wonderful readers who make Gray Whale Inn possible, especially my fabulous Facebook community. You keep me going!
About the Author
Karen is the housework-impaired, award-winning author of multiple mystery series, and her victims number well into the double digits. She lives in Austin, Texas with her sassy family, Tristan, and Little Bit (a.k.a. Dog #1 and Dog #2).
Feel free to visit Karen's web site at www.karenmacinerney.com, where you can download a free book and sign up for her Readers’ Circle to receive subscriber-only short stories, deleted scenes, recipes and other bonus material. You can also find her on Facebook (she spends an inordinate amount of time there), where Karen loves getting to know her readers, answering questions, and offering quirky, behind-the-scenes looks at the writing process (and life in general).
P. S. Don’t forget to follow Karen on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
www.karenmacinerney.com
[email protected]
Scone Cold Dead Page 19
