Lavender Scones.
June 2006
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Lavender Scones Recipe
By Michael Recchiuti
San Francisco artisan chocolatier Michael Recchiuti creates exquisite confections. But he is also a pastry chef who has created everything from the most complex special-occasion cakes to scones like these that should be enjoyed every day.
 Just reading the recipe for these buttermilk breakfast biscuits will make mouths water. The addition of lavender is inspired by the daintiest Recchiuti chocolate confection: Lavender Vanilla (photo at right), an infusion of Provençal lavender buds with whole vanilla bean folded in semi-sweet chocolate ganache, and enrobed in 41% Venezuelan milk chocolate. (You can purchase the chocolates at Recchiuti.com).
Scones are small, thick biscuits, usually rich with cream and eggs (here, buttermilk is used instead of cream). The flour can be wheat, barley or oatmeal, with baking powder used as the leavening agent.
Traditional English scones have a minimum of extras the batter; raisins or currants are sometimes added. Instead, they are served enhanced with butter, jam or honey. Increasingly, American scones have paralleled muffins, with a variety of mix-ins from berries and nuts to chocolate morsels; they are also found glazed and frosted.
The lavender scones are best served slightly warm with unsalted butter or with fruit preserves.
Yield: 1 dozen scones
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (very cold and cubed)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender buds* (minced)
*Click here to purchase 4 ounces of culinary lavender for $15.00.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Using forks cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it has the consistency of coarse corn meal.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs together and then add to the dry ingredients. Press the mixture into a 1-inch high round. Be careful not to knead or over-work the dough.
- Cut the dough into 12 wedges and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Buy Michael Recchiuti’s Book:
Chocolate Obsession
In this beautifully-photographed book, Michael Recchiuti divulges his professional secrets and techniques, allowing home cooks to reproduce his exquisite confections in their own kitchens. Including a complete discussion of chocolate from bean to bar, the book offers detailed instructions for dipped chocolates, truffles and molded chocolates, including Recchiuti's signature ganache flavors: Earl Grey tea, burnt caramel and tarragon with grapefruit. Also featured are recipes for such sinfully delicious treats as Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Truffle Cream Filling, Double Dark Chocolate Soufflés, and Rocky Recchiuti Brownies. With more than 60 recipes in all, this book will satisfy even the most obsessive chocolate lovers among us.
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Chocolate Obsession, by Michael Recchiuti. 200 pages, $22.05.
Click here to purchase. |
Drinking Lavender
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Chamomile Lavender Tea.
From Harney & Sons, one of
America’s finest tea packagers,
this herbal tea (no caffeine!) has
a lovely floral nose. Click here
to purchase. |
Lavender Earl Grey Tea. From Serendipitea, a classic Earl Grey tea blended with lavender buds. Click here to purchase. |
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Purple Passion
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Lavender Honey. From
Restaurant LuLu, infused with the light fragrance of lavender blossoms. Wonderful in tea and lemonade; on toast, scones, and croissants; in baking. Also glaze chicken and duck. Click here to purchase. |
Lavender Syrup. Use this French sugar syrup from Le Père Pelletier to sweeten beverages, whipped cream, crème brulée, fruit salad, ice cream, yogurt. If you love lavender, you must have a bottle. Click here to purchase. |
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| Lavender Milk Chocolate. From Belgian chocolatier NewLife, the Tranquility bar is named for its calming benefits—the lavender and lime blossoms in the milk chocolate purportedly have calming effects, but the chocolate is delicious nevertheless. Click here to purchase. |
Lavender Mini-Bars. Instead of one large bar, exercise portion control with a box of three mini-bars. Each box includes 3 individually wrapped 0.32-ounce mini-bars. Click here to purchase. |
Lavender Dark Chocolate. Belgian chocolatier Dolfin blends 60% cacao semisweet chocolate with lavender flowers from Provence. Each box contains 24 petals of chocolate, a total of 4.23 ounces of chocolate. Click here to purchase. |
Recipe © copyright Michael Recchiuti. Additional material
Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved.
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