5/6/11

Strawberry Basil Scones


Are you ready for Mother's Day? 

I am. 

Would you believe me if I said that I thought ahead, made these scones, and shipped them to my mom to have for breakfast on Sunday? 

No? 

You're right, that didn't happen, although it would have been a nice present. No, I'm covered because as I was frantically searching for a Mother's Day gift this week, I remembered this little fact: the kids in my family had pitched in to buy my mom a charm from Tiffany's for her birthday. I had a vague memory of my mom asking for it and saying it could cover Mother's Day, too, (If you've ever been in a Tiffany's store, you know that no purchases there are really small.) but I wasn't sure.

So I fired off this e-mail: 

Hi mom,
Did we get you the tiffany's charm for mother's day? Or was it just birthday? I'm trying to remember.
Nicole

And my mom responded:

It was both. Being the honest mother that I am I will admit to that. I love it by the way.

Awesome. Put big check on my to-do list; my Mother's Day gift has already been bought and received. And she loves it. I love when I plan ahead like that. 

(Also, don't you love how personal our e-mails are? Those are the entire e-mails, no joke. As I read mine over again, I was feeling bad for not writing "Love" when I signed my name, until I realized my mom didn't even do that. Vermonters aren't exactly known for their sentimentality.) 

Seriously though, despite being off the hook for thinking of a gift, I will definitely take some time this Mother's Day to call my mom and thank her for all she does. It's funny how your perspective changes as you go through life, and I'm just starting to realize just how much work raising four kids must have been. Especially when one of them was my brother. (I was perfect, just so you know.) We ate together every night as a family, and I'm know that took a lot of work and planning on the part of my mom. I've always considered myself lucky to have the mom I have. 


If you get a chance this weekend and feel like baking your mom (or even yourself) a treat as a "Thank you", you really can't go wrong with these scones. I even made them for my husband's mom and they were resoundingly mother-approved. (Like Kix cereal. But way tastier.) Basil with strawberries is just delicious, and in scone form it's a heavenly breakfast. 



Basil Strawberry Scones

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
2 T snipped basil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup half-and-half
Half-and-half or milk
Sugar

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/2 cups flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently toss in fresh strawberries and basil. Make a well in center of the flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together eggs and half-and-half. Add egg mixture to flour mixture all at once. Using a large spoon, gently stir just until incorporated.

3. Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it 5 to 7 times, turning the dough one quarter turn after each fold. (If it is too sticky, add flour from the extra 1/4 cup as needed to make it workable.) Transfer to a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat or lightly roll dough into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut circle into wedges and pull apart slightly.

4. Brush wedges with additional half-and-half and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 14-16 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with butter or at room temp. Refrigerate any leftover scones.

Makes 12 scones

Recipe Source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

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