Plum Gorgeous – also the name of one of my fav cookbooks
“Where there is a will, there’s a way.”
Yesterday, I was sharing some of my Mom’s favorite idioms with someone. That was one of them. She tenderly encouraged me with them from time to time when I was a young girl. Honestly, I think about her every day and how inextricably tied I am to her and always will be. Every time I think about stepping into the kitchen, I think of her.
Think scones are boring? Well, I guess they can be – and I have seen many a sad scone in my day – and I do a fairly thorough job scouting out scones near and far. I never want my scones to be bland or boring……….. I think a lot of people think of scones as a lowly item on the pastry scale. They’re relegated to the category of quick-bread and therefore a relatively unsophisticated, maybe even simpleton category – especially when compared to an elegantly appointed and constructed tart or french pastry. I get this, I do. But, if you don’t have two days to work on a single item to serve and a ton of patience and desire to work on something extremely intricate, I like to think that you can still turn out something yummy and impressive looking. And, you can actually do that with a scone.
This morning I was inspired to try something new and I was all set to make an apple scone – maybe a pumpkin-apple scone, but I began eyeing the 4 plums that were sitting in my trencher. This could be one of the last good weeks for figs and plums. I had the most elegant and succulently delicious figs last week at Capo in Santa Monica. They came as a garnish on my entrée of duck breast. But, I digress. That’s a story for another day. Today, it’s back to plums.
Even though I’d settled on them, when I picked them up, I realized they weren’t as ripe as I would have wanted. This is where “where there’s a will, there’s a way” came in – and how often does this inspire creativity? Well, in my kitchen, it’s a lot. So, I set out to envelop myself in my all time favorite fragrances, namely honey, lemon, thyme and ginger. I got to working and instinctively, these came out, went into the oven and came out again. The wonderful bonus of this recipe is the ridiculously beautiful and luscious syrup you get by sautéing the plums! Thanks, Mom for you are in my heart and in my head as I create these things.
HONEY-GLAZED GINGER-PLUM SCONES WITH THYME –
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tblsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one small or one half large lemon
8 tblsp unsalted butter, cold or frozen
2 eggs
2 tblsp buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tblsp honey
4 plums of your choice, pitted, each half sliced into 4 slices
for the glaze:
1/2 cup water
3 tblsp honey
4 small sprigs of thyme
for the filling:
4 tblsp honey
1/4 cup well-minced crystalized ginger
Preheat oven to 400F. Butter 8 small brioche tins and dust with sugar. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.
Sauté the plums and make the glaze:
In a medium sauté pan, bring the 1/2 cup water and 3 tblsp honey to a simmer. Add the thyme. Reduce to a thin syrupy texture. Add the plums and sauté until they soften a bit and the liquid begins to turn a beautiful ruby color. Remove the plums from the pan onto a plate and let them cool. Meanwhile, continue to reduce the syrup to a thick but drizzle-able texture. If the syrup becomes too thick, just add a little water and reduce again. Set this aside.
Make the scones: In the bowl of your food processor, whir together the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the cubed butter and pulse 8-9 times or until the butter resembles small peas. Dump this mixture into a low wide bowl and make a well in the center. In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, the buttermilk and cream and 3 tblsp honey. Whisk well. Pour this mixure into the center of the dry ingredients and, working with a dough scraper, begin to work the dry ingredients into the wet. When the dough begins to come together, finish kneading with your hands until the dough is a cohesive mass – just a few short turns. Do not over knead.
Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 10″ x 6″ rectangle. Drizzle the last 4 tblsp of honey over the dough and spread out with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle the crystalized ginger over all. Roll up into a cylinder. Using a metal dough scraper or serrated knife, cut the scones into 8 equal pieces. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Place each scone into a brioche tin rolled side up. Artfully arrange three plum slices over each scone. Drizzle with some of that gorgeous ruby-colored syrup and top with a small sprig of thyme.
Bake for 20 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, or until nicely browned and top is slightly bubbling. Remove from oven and serve warm. Enjoy!
These were lots of fun to make. I will use this idea in other ways now – with an upside down cake, a tart, a pizza with prosciutto and burrata or ricotta, in a salad with grilled beef, lamb or even with those duck breasts. This mixture with the plums and honey is not too sweet and you can always add in a shallot and more thyme and instantly have a nice savory glaze.
Enjoy these last days of Summer. I know I will!