Sunday in the Park and Sunny in the Kitchen – these two thoughts and similar phraseology happily coalesce here on this bright sunny morning
I’m betting there is hardly anyone out there who remembers Sunday in the Park with George. I can hardly believe it is a full 30+ years since this play opened on Broadway and subsequently won a Pulitzer and two Tony awards. I often think of this title as I could happily stroll in a number of parks (Hyde, Luxembourg, Piazzale Michelangelo, Central just to name a few) each Sunday with, um, George. Today, I am hopeful I’ll get to stroll over to Central with my friend who lives nearby. This after having a whimsical morning in my sunny kitchen with a bowl full of jewels.
At this height of citrus season, it’s so much fun to play with the jeweled-tone selections, each which surprise with a unique smashing tone and glisten when you slice into them. And then, I’m forever grateful for friends to gift scones to. This frankly, allows me to have fun in the kitchen early in the day and then not spend the remainder of the day eating up the ‘fruits’ of my labor – pun intended. (Is my mood shifting to the positive as we crawl a bit closer to the equinox?)
playing around with sugar and sunshine:
Yesterday I loaded up my shopping cart with a big bag of Blood Oranges at Whole Foods. I carefully selected each orange, by skin tone – some having a blush and others not – all the while trying to guess what magical brilliance may be inside, and then by weight and firmness. After, I went to work with them and fixed up my little Winterized Caprese Salad that was the subject of yesterdays post: https://kitchen-inspirational.com/2016/02/18/outsmarting-winter-my-roasted-beet-and-blood-orange-caprese-salad-with-toasted-hazelnuts/
This morning, I’m headed into the city to see a friend for lunch. I’m gifting a box of these – fresh from the oven scones.
CANDIED* BLOOD ORANGE AND GINGER SCONES – 3 cups all purpose flour
2 tblsp coarse-ground organic corn meal
1/4 cup minced candied ginger
1 generous tblsp freshly-grated fresh ginger root
1 tblsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one half navel orange
8 tblsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes,
2 eggs,
1/2 cup buttermilk,
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 tsp almond extract
orange sugar (1/4 cup sugar mixed with fingers with 1 tblsp orange zest)
crushed sliced toasted almonds
1 blood orange cut into 9 slices, edges brushed with egg wash and rolled in the orange sugar
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, corn meal, baking powder, salt, orange zest and fresh ginger. Add the butter cubes and pulse 8-9 times or until the butter resembles the size of peas. Dump this mixture into a low, wide bowl and make a well in the center.
In a 2 cup measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, orange juice and almond extract. Pour half of this mixture into the center of the dry ingredients and, working with a dough scraper, gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet. When the mixture begins to come together add the crystalized ginger and knead into a mass. Move the dough to a lightly floured board and press gently into a 1 1/4″ height.
Cut out scones with a 3″ fluted biscuit cutter and place on prepared pan. Place a slice of the “candied” blood orange on top of each scone then brush the edges with egg wash. Sprinkle the remaining orange sugar over the tops and a scant bit onto the side edges. Top with a sprinkle of the crushed almonds. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Enjoy!
* if you have a little extra time, it is actually preferable to “candy” these in a more traditional sense, by simmering them on the lowest flame in a sugar syrup until they begin to soften and develop a lovely coat of near-crystalized sugar.
