My good friend Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella sent me a message on Facebook a couple of days ago and said she had a recipe that she’d love to share with my readers while I’m getting back on my feet (literally).
They spend most of their time traveling. I was trying to count all the countries they’ve visited but I lost count at Easter Island, Tanzania, South Korea, Seychelles and Thailand. I have major envy.
They are off to the Great Barrier Reef in the next couple of days and then I’m back on the job!
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Here’s Lorraine’s wonderful Red Berry and White Chocolate Scones. I want one now.
Inspiration can hit anywhere. It can be your imagination wishing up a dream meal scenario. It can come in daydreams, from walking around and seeing nature or it can come from the most unlikely of sources. Airline food? Yes really!
These red berry and white chocolate scones were inspired by of all things airline food. I know plane food gets a bad rap. And for the most part it deserves it although I’m just grateful for the diversion. But on my trip to Canada I flew a regional airline called Air North. The planes had a generous luggage allowance (double that of the national carrier for an international trip) and while I couldn’t understand a word they were saying on the plane’s inflight announcement the food on the plane ranged from good to excellent! Mainly because it tasted like food on the ground and that it hadn’t taken a 24 hour trip around the tarmac and in the freezing clouds before being served.
We were given warm toasted sandwiches on one leg and the flight attendants then proceeded to wheel the trolleys down the aisle for a second round. “Would you like cake service?” said one flight attendant. These are the sweetest words you will ever hear in the air. I nodded yes and they cut me a slice of strawberry and cream cake.
On the return leg I was given a breakfast scone. I usually prefer savouries in the morning and I was feeling out of sorts from the 4am rise so I shoved it aside but then hunger and boredom got the better of me and I tried some a corner of the scone. It was a cranberry and white chocolate scone and it was delicious! I spread it with butter and jam (just because life is better with butter and jam) and ate the entire thing chasing crumbs and all.
I had to recreate it at home and although cranberries are hard to get here I decided to make it a mix of cranberries and raspberries-both fruits had a succulent tartness that goes well with white chocolate. These scones are rich and they are buttery but they have a great balance of tart and sweet. The very original base for this recipe is from Maureen’s best fluffy, flakey, buttery biscuit recipe. When Maureen tells you that a recipe is the best ever, well it’s true.
So tell me Dear Reader, where do you get your inspiration from?
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, rehydrated for 10 minutes in a bowl of hot water
- 2 cups plain all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons caster or superfine sugar
- 3.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 125g/4oz. butter, cold and cubed
- ⅔ cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)
- ½ cup white chocolate buds
- ½ cup yogurt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line a baking tray with parchment. In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt until well mixed. Then add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the cranberries, raspberries, white chocolate, yogurt and buttermilk together and mix by hand.
- Step 2 - Shape into a ball and place on the prepared tray. Flatten out with the palms of your hand to until about an inch thick. Using a pastry scraper or a knife, cut into eight wedges. Bake in oven for 18 minutes or so, turning once halfway. Serve with butter and jam.
Thanks so much to Lorraine. Please visit her at NotQuiteNigella.com as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.