I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing mouth-watering about processed cheese. It lacks any kind of taste, looks artificial, and I doubt there’s any nutritional benefit once being processed.
As a cheeselover, it pleases me to know there are cheesemakers in every province. According to the Canadian Dairy Commission, Quebec is the biggest producer of cheese, followed by Ontario. Canadian cheesemakers produced more than 137.7 million kilograms (303 million pounds) and more than 1,050 types of cheese in 2011. Be still my cheese-beating heart! After some sleuthing, I also discovered there’s a cheese school dedicated to cheese appreciation and has been around since 2005. Who knew? The Maritime Provinces have their fair share of excellent cheesemakers and one of my favorites is Cows Creamery from Prince Edward Island. I should mention that back in the mid 1980’s their ice cream rocked (still does).
It’s a holiday today and I was thinking I’d like to make a batch of savoury scones. Mr. S wanted cookies and I had every intention to make some but my heart wasn’t in it. I’ll make it up to him later on this week…I promise.
Makes 8
2 cups flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated smoked cheddar
1/4 cup chopped dill
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 cup of cream (10% milk fat)
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
For the glaze:
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 400f.
Move oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add grated cheddar, dill, and toss until coated with flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two table knives until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.
In a small bowl, stir the cream and egg yolks just to blend. Add this to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork to begin combining the wet and dry ingredients. Use your hands to gently knead the mixture together until all the dry ingredients are absorbed into the dough and it can be gathered into a moist ball. Don’t overknead: This dough is sticky but benefits from minimal handling. Set the rough ball in the center of the baking sheet and pat it gently into a round about 1-2 inches thick and roughly 8 inches in diameter.
Use a sharp knife to cut the round into eight wedges; separate the wedges. Brush the scones with the egg-milk glaze (you won’t need to use all of it) and lightly top with grated smoked cheddar. Bake 18 to 22 minutes until the scones are deep golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a wedge comes out clean. Slide the parchment onto a wire rack and let the scones cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: The Cows Applewood Smoked Cheddar really made these scones shine. A natural applewood smoke gives depth of character and flavor but not overpowering. Don’t worry about the sugar in the scone recipe, it gives it just a hint of something sweet. Enjoy!
- 2 cups flour
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated smoked cheddar
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup of cream (10% milk fat)
- 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- For the glaze:
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- Preheat oven to 400f.
- Move oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add grated cheese, dill, and toss until the pieces are coated with flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two table knives until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.
- In a small bowl, stir the cream and egg yolks just to blend. Add this to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork to begin combining the wet and dry ingredients. Use your hands to gently knead the mixture together until all the dry ingredients are absorbed into the dough and it can be gathered into a moist ball. Don’t overknead: This dough is sticky but benefits from minimal handling. Set the rough ball in the center of the baking sheet and pat it gently into a round about 1-2 inches thick and roughly 8 inches in diameter.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the round into eight wedges; separate the wedges. Brush the scones with the egg-milk glaze (you won’t need to use all of it) and lightly top with grated smoked cheddar. Bake 18 to 22 minutes until the scones are deep golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a wedge comes out clean. Slide the parchment onto a wire rack and let the scones cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
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