Bacon Cranberry Scones With Citrus Basil Butter Recipes

BACON CRANBERRY SCONES WITH CITRUS BASIL BUTTER

Steps:

• For the scones: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the bacon and cranberries. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.
• On a lightly floured work surface, pat dough into a 1/2-inch thick, 11-by-5-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 8 squares. Cut each square into 2 triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheese on the tops of the scones. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the scones to a wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes.
• For the butter: In a small bowl, mix together the butter, basil, orange zest and salt. Serve at room temperature alongside the scones.

CRANBERRY BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries and the orange juice and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Drain the cranberries in a sieve and chop them finely. When they are cool, combine with the butter and the confectioners sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Pack into small ramekins or roll into a tube in heavy plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed, then remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

CRANBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Zest the lime with a grater and add 1 teaspoon of the zest to the bowl.
• Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from one half into a small bowl. Reserve the other half of the lime for later. Add the milk to the bowl with the lime juice. The milk will curdle, producing buttermilk!
• Add the finely cut butter to the flour mixture and gently rub it with your hands or use a pastry blender until it is coarse and mealy; you don't want to work it in completely. Stir in the frozen cranberries.
• Whisk the egg into the milk mixture in the small bowl. Add the liquid from the small bowl into the butter-flour-and-cranberry mixture, folding until the dough just comes together.
• On a lightly floured surface, press the dough into a 1-inch-thick round disk. Cut the disk into 8 slices.
• Grease or spray a heavy baking sheet with butter or nonstick spray. Evenly space the dough wedges on the sheet. Squeeze the remaining lime half over top of each wedge to create a "glue," then sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the tops of the scones are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

BACON SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in onion, cheese and two-thirds of the bacon., Transfer dough to a greased baking sheet. Pat into a 7-1/2-in. circle. Cut into eight wedges, but do not separate. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.