Friday, April 29, 2011

Food Friday: Chives & Feta Scones

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The weather here has been really shitty and dreary these past couple of days -- in other words, perfect for comfort foods. I decided to make these to take to a crêpe party at a friend's, because, you know, they're so light and healthy, and the perfect side dish to a sweet crêpe. Um, who am I kidding? Since our evening plans fell through, we'll have these with something else. What, I have no idea, because I'm running out of fresh ingredients. Why, you ask? Because I can't seem to get the way my mom's car's clutch works, and I end up stalling at every stop so I've been relying on my friendly neighborhood épicerie for groceries. 

I was looking to use up some of my feta and chives and came across this recipe. As usual, I made a few changes, such as using feta instead of goat's cheese because I hate goat's cheese, but love feta. I also couldn't use buttermilk because we don't have such a thing here, so I added some lemon juice to half a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes to make a buttermilk substitute.  

These scones are a little on the bland side, so either use them to dip into something, or add more pepper and maybe a little cumin or paprika or something of the sort. I'm not too great at food pairings, especially when I feel like my taste buds have gone on strike. The texture is interesting, though. Maybe the problem with the taste is that I used frozen chives, because that was all I had. I'll try to make it with fresh chives next time.

Chives and Feta Cheese Scones (makes 8 large triangular scones)

Ingredients: 

- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)
- 1/6 cup unsalted butter, cut up, and chilled
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen chives
- 5 ounces (110g) feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, plus one tbsp for brushing (or milk with 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 400°F (205° Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, mix the cut up butter until you obtain something that resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the chives, throw in the feta and the buttermilk. Stir with a fork until a sticky dough forms. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 30 seconds. 

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Flatten into a circle. 

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Cut 8 pieces with a large knife.

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Brush with the remaining buttermilk, using a pastry brush. 

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Place wedges on the baking sheet, leaving at least half an inch between each wedge.

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Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top. 

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Cool on a rack. 

2 comments:

Jacqueline said...

Yum! This was awesome. I have a whole new appreciation of people who can do a recipe properly and take pics too. :)

Anne said...

Haha, thanks! Loved your empanada shoot, and it made me want to take photos of someone cooking for once.