on birthday scones

Husband and I have fallen into the habit of making scones for Saturday morning breakfast whenever we entertain guests for the weekend, and these past three weeks have certainly been scone-filled. 

We've had a different set of visitors each weekend, and I am beginning to wonder if I should, perhaps, expand my breakfast repertoire; we may love scones and tea first thing Saturday morning, but our guests may begin to grown weary of such a consistency if they visit more than once in the span of a few weeks. 

Still, while I ponder breakfast alternatives and seek sage advice, we baked scones, yet again, this past Saturday. The March sky broke forth full of sunshine and the whispered promise of spring as we celebrated my Mother's birthday with a breakfast of raspberry scones and loose leaf tea. 

They really were just the thing for celebrating. Happy Birthday, Mama.

the ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 TB unsalted butter, chilled

2 eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 TB orange zest

3 TB sugar

raspberries and more raspberries

the method:

Preheat the over to 425 degrees F.

Combine try ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or a fork (though I always use my fingers), work the butter into the flour until it resembles course meal. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add cream, fruit and orange zest.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and kneed until smooth (2 minutes).

Roll out dough until it is 3/4 inches thick.

Cut into triangles and place on a baking sheet.

Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes.

Serve with butter. Eat. Enjoy.