Before I was married, and I lived in my own little condo in D.C. I had a very special neighbor. She is and will always be my friend (we were friends before she was my neighbor) but there was something so special about us being neighbors. It felt a bit like college, having a friend just a few steps away. Someone you could vent about your day to, have a glass of wine with, someone to watch TV with, someone who baked cookies and invited you over to have some with her. When my husband and I moved outside D.C. to a suburban neighborhood I never thought I'd have a friend who was also a neighbor. But wouldn't you know, when you get a puppy you make a lot of friends. But my one neighbor in particular is a very special neighbor because I know we'll always be friends, and we'd be friends even if we weren't neighbors. I had been having a very long week. She knew this. So she gave me a basket of freshly made blueberry scones. Yes, a basket full of baked goods. I mean, honestly, how sweet is that? She is so Charlotte. Oh and did I mention she also baked treats for Chutney as well? Chutney recently got spayed, so I guess you could say she had a pretty long week as well. These aren't just any kind of scones, however, they are pretty much the best scones I've ever had. They have powers. They put a smile on your face. I know this for a fact because I just had one with some tea and I am smiling. Petite, moist, flaky and not too sweet, unlike most you see these days which are the size of my head and hard as bricks. You can actually taste the butter. If something has lots of butter in it I want to be able to taste it. For real. The butter has gently settled itself into the layers just waiting for your bite. With her permission, I am posting this, recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence. Blueberry Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.
Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.
You may make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.
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