"romantic" lemon lavender scones
In June 2010, I had a scone that changed my life. It was in Kinsale, Ireland. It had raspberries. And it changed how I felt about scones as a whole. I'm not sure what I felt before... but it wasn't love for scones.
To this day ... I have searched for a scone that I loved 40% as much.
Well this morning I made lemon lavender scones. They are easy, delicious, and romantic. Yep, I'm not sure quite what makes these babies feel "romantic" but they do. I feel like I should be wearing cute pajamas as I eat them (not my oversized J. Crew men's waffle shirt from junior year of high school). I'm also supposed to be curled up in an arm chair and reading a wonderful book on a Sunday. That... I did manage to pull off.
Plus, it wouldn't be a weekend if I didn't cover myself (and my kitchen) in flour... right?
I don't know where regular people buy "culinary" lavender (apparently there is a difference?) but I bought it at my favorite store in the North End, Polcari's on Salem St. And it was only a dollar. I've only ever stumped the gents at Polcari's once before on a weird ingredient... and I'm probably better off not making a homemade face mask with dried orange peel. So thanks for that guys.
Theoretically you might want to have a coffee grinder or a mortar/pestle situation in your kitchen for the lavender process, but I have neither and my scones were delicious. I just used a spoon and my hands and crushed that business right up. You won't get stronger from crushing lavender with your hands but you will smell amazing.
(Step 1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This recipe makes 9 solid sized scones so... pick a pan for that.
(Step 2) Combine the lemon zest and lavender in a small bowl and really smoosh it around to get the "essential oils" released. Then add the sugar.... and mix around again. By this point, you will already be in love with these scones.
(Step 3) Toss the amazing sugar mix into your your large mixing bowl (stand mixer, whatever) and add flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Mix it up until the shortening is all sorts of tiny like cornmeal.
(Step 4) In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk and cream. Don't forget to save the egg white from the yolk. You'll totally want it to put on the scone pre-baking.
(Step 5) Combine your bowls and mix it all up.
(Step 6) Take a deep breath and get ready to cover your kitchen in flour. Gently massage the dough onto a well-floured surface. I say "gently" because I don't really care how much you do this ... you really just don't want the dough to be sticky anymore.
(Step 7) Roll the dough to about one inch thick and cut the dough however you want. I cut into 9 squares and they were great. But, if I was bringing these to say a fancy brunch, I'd probably try to get 12 scones out of the dough just fine.
(Step 8) Arrange scones onto baking sheet, about two inches apart and brush the scones with the reserved egg white. At this point, I have also realized I don't have a pastry brush. I used a spoon. It felt less "culinary" but whatever. Now, spring the tops with sugar.... aggressively. It's worth it especially if you don't want to make the glaze.
(Step 9) Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until pale golden.
(Step 10) Want the glaze? (You do. It's worth it). Mix up the lemon juice and confectioner sugar to a thick-ish consistency. Drizzle away and top with some additional ground lavender.
Now, you eat them and you love them.
If you are me, you eat two for yourself while reading The Girl Who Played with Fire ... then you want to share them, so you put on your sneakers and walk two miles to put one outside of a friend's apartment in Back Bay. By the way, it's gloriously sunny out and since you are on a scone high you don't even care about all the tourists.
I bet you wish I knew where you lived now don't ya? Not in a creepy way of course.
Shopping List
zest of two lemons
1 tablespoon culinary lavender, finely ground-ish
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons shortening
1 large egg
1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white for brushing the tops of the scones before baking)
1 cup light cream
4 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (from the zested lemons)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
finely ground culinary lavender, for sprinkling atop scones
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