Scones, In Tandem

Email is a wonderful thing when baking scones together, trans-Atlantically. Same recipe, different locales. Friend Rosie and I have done it again: Scones, at their best.

Friend Rosie is the quintessential cream scone-baker who graciously gave me The Little Book Of Scones, in Cornwall. Just writing those words - friend Rosie, scones, Cornwall - prompts me  to automatically type 'British Airways' into my search engine. This happens all the time, and is inexorable.

And really, why would not the SconeLady long for that sweet and lovely place? It is a place to escape to, a place that beckons, that enfolds one...

(Oh oops - I find it easy to get carried away).

So we baked them this weekend, together - on different continents. I believe friend Rosie used clotted cream, while I used whipped. More often now, I find people preferring clotted, but both are delicious (I would use it too, if I could FIND IT). 

We decided upon the Basic Sweet Scone recipe, from the book above. Ted was in the middle of his bread baking (his breads are superb!), but he paused that in order to come and sample. Below are Rosie's photos, featuring her grandmother's hand painted tea service. Aren't they lovely? 

         Rosie's grandmother's china

Taste-tester pronounces them 'delicious'

friend Rosie produces a quintessential cream tea!

But it seems the SconeLady may have been a little bit distracted, today. All of the dry ingredients were blended, then the buttermilk was added accidentally before the butter. This is not good! I was not watching the recipe! The dough was feeling awfully dry and I knew something was missing. I soon discovered the butter, ready and waiting in the refrigerator. A few steps too late!

Instead of throwing it all out and starting again, I worked the butter in - late though it was. The scones looked ok, but I did not think they were as light as they could have been!

However, no scone is a waste, and my husband stated the following: "Oh, it was a GREAT scone, fantastic!" And so with that, I am satisfied.

    Basic Sweet Scones, by AllScone 

My own willing taste tester

The SconeLady declares success

Please do try these scones, dear Readers! Delicious.

See you along the way!

the SconeLady