just wishing and hopin and thinkin and prayin……….
my little volcanos of nuts, fruit and cinnamon sugar
I’m at the point in January now where I can barely put a sentence together, keep my daily agenda intact and put one foot in front of the other to walk out the door. I probably shouldn’t even be driving since half the time I can’t remember where I am going. Yes, ’tis so. You may have noted there haven’t been many blog posts in the past weeks either. This is because, while I have started many, I can’t keep the thread going and remember the point I wanted to make when I started out. I have a million thoughts run through my head per day and I can’t execute on any of them.
Thus is the impact on me of Seasonal Affect. As with the groundhog, the bear and the other hibernating animals, I am in the deep phase of sleep that is the constant in my life around the coldest, most dismal weeks of Winter. The only strings of words I can keep together are those cursing the coats, hats, gloves, boots, scarves and the frigid wind as I walk the dog.
This morning, after I had gone through many of my photographs from last year looking for a recipe and a photo, I slowly shushed up to the shower. Into my mind popped the inimitable Dusty Springfield and her lyrics:
“wishin and hopin and plannin and dreamin” ………. would this help me? nope, they won’t get me into deep Spring, and tout suite!
I can’t even figure out what I want to eat these days. Now that’s desperate. I needed a friend…. That led me to James Taylor:
“you can call out my name and you know wherever I am, I’ll come runnin”
And then I remembered Dorie Greenspan’s post last week saying, “In troubled times, baking is a comfort.” Thank you Dorie – on so many levels!
thank you Dorie
and so, after these three inspirational people popped into my head this morning, I turned, once more to Marion Cunningham and the oven. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to make, but I knew I could rely on Marion’s classic Buttermilk Scone recipe to be my anchor. I was just “wishin and hopin” that making something would help me coalesce my thoughts into a simple recipe and a simple post.
ORANGE/PECAN/ALMOND/CRANBERRY ROLLED SCONES with CINNAMON SUGAR – adapted from Marion Cunningham
3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
zest of one navel orange
6 tblsp unsalted butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cups toasted sliced almonds, crushed with your hands
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
2 tblsp butter
egg wash
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of your food processor whir together the flour, sugar, zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse about 8 times. Remove mixture to a low wide bowl. In a measuring cup stir together the buttermilk and orange juice. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk/orange juice mixture in the center and mix together with a light hand with a dough scraper. Knead the dough to bring it together. Remove the dough to a lightly floured board and roll out to a 12 x 8″ rectangle. Dab the 2 tblsp butter all around. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle with the pecans, almonds and cranberries. Press the toppings down lightly. Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a log. Cut into 8-10 scones. Working with your fingers to keep the filling in place, place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until browned and crunchy. Enjoy.
almost looks like a sticky bun
this one reminds me of a Kouign Amann
Well, at least I got one thing done.