Who can resist these beautiful offerings?
It’s no secret that this is indeed my favorite time of the year. Summer fruit is beginning to come into market – and even here in NJ we have some beautiful local crops coming in.
Yesterday, I was over at Wightman’s Farm buying tomatoes to make the Lentil and Tomato Salad recipe which is on Epicurious. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lentil-salad-with-tomato-and-dill-232495 This is well worth making – I added a cup of lightly steamed asparagus to the recipe and plan on switching out the tomatoes for some fresh cherries or strawberries and dotting it with goat cheese or feta and some toasted pignolis! This recipe is a great find and offers lots of opportunities to play around.
While there I saw some choice Rhubarb on the counter and it stuck in my mind overnight. I was right back there this morning, shortly after 8am and grabbed a quart of just-picked strawberries, too!
I was at Eataly yesterday, searching out more of the Frog Hollow Farm Apricots I bought about 3 weeks ago and made that tart that I can’t get out of my mind. Even though they only had a few tiny apricots (I could come back around 4) I bought some beautiful white peaches and some meyer lemons, too.
from Eataly
Today, I’m enjoying being in the kitchen using the gorgeous rhubarb and strawberries I came home with. They are smelling great in the oven as I write this.
STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SCONES WITH TWO GINGERS –
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1/2 large lemon
8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup fresh rhubarb, stewed slightly in a sugar syrup to which 3 slices of fresh ginger have been added – cool completely
1/4 cup minced crystalized ginger
3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup crushed sliced toasted almonds
1 tbsp muscavado sugar
egg wash 8-9 tiny
strawberries for garnish
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of your food processor whir together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and lemon zest. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse 8-9 times or until the butter resembles small peas. Dump this mixture into a low wide bowl and make a well in the center.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and almond extract. Pour this mixture into the center and, working with a dough scraper, gently pull the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix only until the dough begins to hold together. Add the cooled rhubarb, the diced strawberries and the minced crystalized ginger. Continue to mix with the dough scraper just to distribute the fruit and ginger. Finish kneading by hand into a rough mass. Roll into a log about 2 1/2″ wide.
Chill dough for 30 minutes in refrigerator or freezer.
Preheat oven to 400F. Crumble the almonds and muscavado sugar with your fingers until it is mixed and the almonds are in about 1/8″ pieces. Cut the log into 9 equal pieces. Gently roll the scones in your hands to make them round and slightly taller. Brush with egg wash. Gently work the almond/muscavado mixture around the sides of the scones.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the scones are nicely browned, crunchy on top and firm. Remove from oven to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
