Scones and Cream by Ann Downing

CURRANT SCONES

“Teatime Celebrations”

3 cups sifted flour
3 tbs sugar
2 tbs baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, slightly chilled
½ cup dried currants
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375°.  In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. (I DO THIS PART IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR, PROCESSING LIKE I WOULD FOR PASTRY DOUGH)  Stir in currants.
2. (If you’ve used a food processor transfer dry mixture to a bowl) Make well in center of mixture.  Pour buttermilk in and stir with a fork to blend in rough dough (should be sticky).  Turn out on lightly floured surface and knead 8 to 10 times until a smooth dough is formed.
3. Roll out ½ inch thick.  Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter.
4. Bake on greased baking sheets until barely brown on top (15 to 20 minutes).
5. DON’T OVERBAKE OR THEY WILL BE DRY.

Makes 24 to 36 scones depending on the size of the cutter.

These will keep for a day or two but they are best almost right out of the oven or shortly thereafter!  Spread with clotted cream (recipe follows) and a spot of strawberry jam!

MOCK DEVONSHIRE CREAM

“Teatime Celebrations”

½ cup whipping cream
2 tbs confectioners sugar
½ cup sour cream

In a chilled bowl, beat cream until medium stiff peaks form, adding sugar during last few minutes of beating.  Fold in sour cream and blend.

Makes 1 ½ cups.

Royal Tea Cocktail by Lorrie Garcia and Leslie Cox (Adapted from The Spruce Eats)

½ oz of dry gin
2 oz of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea, chilled
Lemon juice from freshly squeezed lemon (to taste)
¼ cup of honey 
¼ cup of water
Lemon wheel for garnish

Make your honey simple syrup by mixing honey and water in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir mixture until the honey dissolves, let cool. Store in an airtight container and set aside. 

In a cocktail mixer add ice, gin, tea, simple syrup mixture, lemon. Shake mixture, strain into an old-fashioned glass, and garnish with the lemon wheel.

Finger Sandwiches by Daphne Kondera (Adapted from Texas Frenchbread’s recipe)

4 tbs of cream cheese
1/2 tbs of lemon zest
1 tbs of chopped fresh dill
1 tbs of chopped chives
1 thinly sliced cucumber

Mix the softened cream cheese, grated lemon zest and chopped fresh herbs. Spread on white bread and sandwich with thinly sliced cucumber. Trim the crust and quarter, use a cookie cutter for a more distinguished look.

Grandma’s Date Bars by Lorrie Garcia

2 eggs
1 pkg. pitted dates finely chopped
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into well-greased 8×8 pan.  Bake 25 minutes in 350-degree oven. Cut into bars. Sift powdered sugar over the top to decorate.