ENGLISH AFTERNOON TEA

"Cream Tea" Time

Scones typically are served with English "Cream Tea, " I've been informed. Two scones accompanying a pot of good tea, form the basis of this meal.

You split and butter the scone, then spread it with a big dollop of strawberry jam and cover with whipped heavy cream.

SCONES - Sift together 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt. With pastry blender or knives, cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine.

Add 2 slightly beaten eggs and mix with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Roll into a circle about 1/2-inch thick and 8 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges.

Bake at 400 degrees F. about 15 minutes or until golden. Split and serve with butter, jam, and to be truly English...whipped cream.

(c)Mary Emma Allen

VARIATIONS OF SCONES & BANNOCKS

Various Recipes for Scones & Bannocks

Numerous recipes have evolved for scones with some calling for rolled oats along with flour. In another recipe for dropped scones, the cook stirs hot mashed potatoes into the ingredients before booking.

(Some cooks do not consider the dropped scone, spooned onto a griddle or baking sheet, as you drop cookies, a true scone.)

Scones with Currants

When I described a scone recipe calling for currants, an English acquaintance said that true scones are never filled with currants. There are “Fruit Scones,” she said, but they use golden raisins. Or sultanas.

However, some scone recipes (which therefore may not be completely English) do contain dark raisins, currants, and even dried fruit.

More Scone Variations

An Englishman told me his mother always left a pint of milk to sour and separate. Then she used the curds in her scone recipe.

Some variations he mentioned have glace or candied cherries in them. Another recipe calls for a tablespoon of black treacle (molasses in American recipes).

SCONES – Sift together 2 cups flour, ½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt. With pastry blender or knives, cut in ½ cup butter or margarine.

Add 2 slightly beaten eggs and mix with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Roll into a circle about ½-inch thick and 8 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges.

Bake at 400 degrees F. about 15 minutes, or until golden. Split and serve with butter, jam, and to be truly English…whipped cream.

Related Post: Tea Time With Scones & Bannocks

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

TEA TIME WITH SCONES & BANNOCKS

Tea Time Discussion

Scones and bannocks for tea time set the stage for a memorable occasion. I recall my mother-in-law relating the break for afternoon tea when they toured England and Scotland. Two of the foods they raved about were scones and bannocks.

Stories vary about the origin of these items. Some research indicates Scottish cooks first made scones. However, the origin of this simple food is hazy. It’s served throughout England, Scotland, and Wales with regional variations.

An English reader of my cooking columns said there are two ways to pronounce scones. Some people say it rhymes with stone and others rhyme with corn. You can use either, he says.

Scones vs. Bannocks

In general, scones are rolled into a circle, then cut into triangles and put onto a greased and floured cookie sheet to bake. Sometimes they’re cooked on a griddle and called “griddle scones.”

Also, some English cooks cut scones into 2 or 3-inch rounds with a cookie cutter. Then they bake the scones as we do biscuit in America.

Bannocks usually are baked as a whole circle, in the oven or on a griddle. After they’re cooked, the bannock is cut into triangles. It’s generally agreed that bannocks probably originated in Scotland.

I was told that true scones are never baked as a large circle. If someone did want to shape it this way, they should cut deeply into the top of the scone and divide it into eighths. In other words, score the scone before baking.

(In my next post, I'll discuss variations of scones and bannocks, with recipes.)

©2008 Mary Emma Allen