impromptu scones

Scones are the perfect for when you want something sweet, fast. Better still, you probably have everything you need to make them in your kitchen already! Today, I decided to make a teatime classic – currant scones served with whipped cream and strawberry jam. I used this recipe for Savoy Scones from Martha Stewart.

Modifications and tips:

- I prefer to use buttermilk in scones for flavour.

- Be sure to soak the currants in freshly boiled water before adding them to the dough. This will plump them up nicely – I promise this extra step is worth it.

- Use a pastry cutter to combine the dry ingredients and the butter so that it doesn’t get warm from contact with your hands. Mix the buttermilk and currants in with a spoon and then use your hands knead the dough and form it. Don’t push down on it too hard as you flatten the dough out with a rolling pin either – basically, the less direct contact you have with this dough, the better!

- Right before you put them in the oven sprinkle the scones with a touch of granulated sugar.

Serve:

- Traditionally, scones are served with clotted or Devonshire cream – definitely not staples in my fridge. Instead, I prepared some soft whipped cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla extract to taste.

- As far as I’m concerned, tea is the only way to go with currant scones – Earl Grey, specifically.

long weekend

[ waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast ]

[ a walk along city streets in bloom ]

[ shopping for herbs ]

baked lemon lavender doughnuts

To make these doughnuts, I adapted this recipe from Sur La Table by adding the following to the batter:

- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon chopped culinary lavender

Hint: fill a zipper bag with the batter and then cut off one of the corners – this makes it much easier to fill the doughnut pans!

Then I made a simple glaze using:

- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- the juice of one lemon, strained (give or take a bit – add this to the sugar gradually so that the glaze is thick and opaque)

Dip the doughnuts in the glaze and sprinkle with lemon zest and culinary lavender… Enjoy!

breakfast with eileen

Inspired by Eileen Gray’s impeccable aesthetic, Bodum created the Eileen french press. Since she is one of my favourite modernist designers, I had to have it!

Read her biography and see some of her work  here.

croissants

Let’s talk about croissants. The way I see it, these pastries are best enjoyed fresh from the oven – even if it means venturing out before the sun is up on a weekend morning. There’s nothing like being the first customer at the bakery. Ever since my favourite neighbourhood pastry chef retired, I’ve been buying the most unfortunate croissants from a local bakery that shall remain nameless… Needless to say, I’m on a mission to find an alternative. Unwilling to travel further afield to buy croissants in advance, frozen croissants from Ma Maison in Toronto seemed like the perfect solution. The process is simple, and you get to sleep in. All you have to do is place the frozen croissants on a baking sheet the night before and leave them in the oven to proof overnight. In the morning, the croissants are ready to be baked. Simply remove them from the oven so that it can preheat while you cover the pastries in an egg wash (and make coffee). That’s it! Delicious croissants in under 15 minutes. I can’t wait to try their frozen pains au chocolat and almond croissants.