Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen_ An Indesp - Tyler Florence [23]
Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Blueberry Scones
with Lemon Glaze
45 minutes
These are scones, not stones, the hard, crumbly things you may be used to. Avoid using frozen blueberries because the color bleeds too much into the dough and spoils the look of the scone. This is a side note to all the guys out there. If you bring your woman warm blueberry scones for breakfast in bed, you’ll thank me later.
Makes 8 scones
Blueberry Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the blueberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon Glaze
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Toss the blueberries in some flour to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the scone when baked; then fold them into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.
Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 × 3 × 1¾ inches. Cut the rectangle in half; then cut the pieces in half again, giving you four 3-inch squares. Cut the squares in half on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.
Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e., over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it’s even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps and then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.
Soft Scrambled Eggs
with Smoked Salmon
and Avocado
20 minutes
Soft scrambled eggs put a smile on my face in the morning. They are super easy to make and they require very little forethought. I first tasted “real” scrambled eggs while traveling through Paris as a starving college student. Café et des oeufs was just about all I could afford for breakfast. It was simple, but it was magic.
Serves 4
8 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
2 avocados, peeled and cut in slices
8 slices smoked salmon
Chopped chives (optional)
Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add the cream and whisk until the eggs look foamy and light. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until it foams; then turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the eggs. Using a heat-resistant rubber spatula, slowly stir the eggs from the outside of the pan to the center. Once the eggs begin to set, stirring slowly will create large, cloudlike curds. This process takes about 10 minutes. It sounds easy, but perfect scrambled eggs that are soft and custardlike with no brown color are the sign of a really good cook. Season the eggs with a few cranks of black pepper and good salt, like fleur de sel. I like serving these with a few slices of avocado and smoked salmon, maybe a little chopped fresh chives. Once you perfect these, you’ll never order eggs at a diner again.