Cornmeal Berry Scones Food

CORNMEAL SCONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
• Cut in butter using pastry blender or 2 knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs.
• Stir in buttermilk so dough leaves sides of bowl and forms a ball.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.
• Knead lightly 10 times.
• Pat or roll into 7 inch circle on ungreased cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Score top into 8 wedges, cutting down halfway to the bottom.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown.
• Immediately remove from cookie sheet, carefully separate wedges.
• Serve warm.

CORNMEAL-BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray, or line with cooking parchment paper.
• Mix flour, cornmeal, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, orange peel and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter using pastry blender, just until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/2 cup soy milk and the orange juice just until flour is moistened. Fold in strawberries.
• Place dough on floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 times to form a ball. Divide in half; shape into two 6 x 1/2-inch rounds on cookie sheet. Brush rounds with 1 tablespoon soy milk and sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar. Cut each round into 6 wedges.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Separate wedges; serve warm.

SWEET CORNMEAL CRANBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Adjust rack to upper third of the oven.
• Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a food processor, and process to blend. Add the butter and pulse until you have a uniformly crumbly mixture. Transfer it to a bowl. Lightly toss in the dried cranberries.
• Lightly stir in the egg and buttermilk, using a fork or your fingertips. The ingredients should be moistened just enough so they come together to form a ball of soft dough.
• Pat the dough on a lightly floured board to a thickness of half an inch. Cut it in two-and-a-half-inch rounds. Gently re-form any scraps and cut a few additional rounds.
• Put rounds on foil-covered baking sheets and bake until the biscuits are beginning to brown on top, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool briefly, then serve, or cool completely and warm just before serving. If desired, serve with good preserves and creme fraiche.

CORNMEAL CRANBERRY DROP SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.
• Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Dump any bran remaining in the strainer into the bowl. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse until you have a coarse, even mixture.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and the buttermilk. Turn on the food processor and add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. As soon as the dough comes together, turn off the machine. Add the cranberries and pulse just a few times to distribute through the dough. Don't pulse too many times or the cranberries will be chopped.
• Drop the batter by heaped tablespoons onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving an inch or more of space between each one. Bake one baking sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, reversing the baking sheet front to back halfway through, until lightly browned.

CORNMEAL PLUM SCONES

Steps:

• Put honey and bay leaf in a medium skillet over medium heat. Simmer until honey is bubbling and turns a shade darker, about 2 minutes.
• Place plums in honey. Cook, without moving, until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir plums and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, until tender but not falling completely apart. If the caramel starts to get too brown, stir in a teaspoon or two of water and lower the heat. Scrape plums and syrup into a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour. (Plum compote can be made up to a week ahead.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the cream and egg.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt (or you can do this in a food processor). Using a fork, pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut butter into flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs (or pulse in a food processor). Drizzle in as much of the cream mixture as you need to make a smooth, moist but not wet dough. Save remaining cream-egg mixture for brushing.
• Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet. Pat into a 1 1/4-inch thick round. Using a paring knife, cut 8 wedge-shaped scones (as though you were cutting slices of pie) and push them apart on the baking sheet to separate them 1/2 inch apart. Brush dough with remaining cream-egg mixture, or use more cream if you've run out of the mixture.
• Using your fingertips, make a deep indentation about 1 inch in diameter in the center of each scone. Tuck some plum into the hole. Transfer pan to oven and bake until uniformly golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve scones with extra plum compote and butter on the side if you like.

CORNMEAL AND BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a food processor combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Pulse to combine.
• Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add cornmeal and blueberries.
• Add 6 tablespoons milk and pulse. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms a ball.
• Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and form into five, 3 inch rounds 1 inch thick.
• Place on prepared pan and bake until golden, about 35 - 40 minutes.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.