I got up at 5:30 a.m. for a swim off Sandy Cove before jumping on 95 North to bake and arrange flowers for a baby shower in Maine. Brett and Garrett will celebrate the arrival of their first child in mid-September! A group of us gathered from 2-4 p.m. –  perfect for a summer tea in honor of the special event. Included on the menu: mini cranberry scones with lemon curd.

CRANBERRY SCONES WITH LEMON CURD – Makes 18 extra small biscuits

Click Here To Print Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (6 oz.) GF flour mix (yours, ours, or Trader Joe’s), plus 1-2 tablespoons extra for kneading the dough

1/4 cup (2 oz.) granulated sugar

1/8 cup (.75 oz.) almond flour (remember you can make your own in a coffee mill)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

3/4 – 1 cup dried cranberries

1 egg yolk

scant 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon grated or “granulated” maple sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

2.  Measure the dry ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.

3.  Grate the butter into the flour mixture and incorporate with a fork or with one’s fingers.

4.  Stir in the dried cranberries so they’re coated with flour

5.  Separate the yolk into a 1 cup glass measure and add enough heavy cream to make 1/2 cup (4 oz.). Stir with a whisk or fork to blend.

6.  Add the cream to the flour mixture – stir to form a still dough.  Add 1-2 teaspoons more cream if the dough doesn’t come together.

7.  Turn the dough onto a GF floured surface and knead 3-4 times.  Divide into three equal portions and pat into 3/4 inch rounds.

8.  Pat each round with any cream remaining in the cup measure, sprinkle with the maple sugar, cut into 6 equal wedges, and space evenly on the baking sheet.

9.  Bake the scones for 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Measuring the dry ingredients

Grating in the butter

Mixing the butter into the flour

Adding the cream to the yolk to equal 4 oz.

Organic dried cranberries

Fisted grip to stir the stiff batter

Dough turned onto the floured surface

Disks cut into sixths – sprinkled with maple sugar

Evenly spaced on the baking sheet

Freshly baked!

LEMON CURD

INGREDIENTS:

4 large organic eggs

1/2 cup (4 oz.) granulated sugar

zest of one organic lemon

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 medium large lemons)

1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a medium sized heavy sauce pan beat together the eggs and sugar until light and frothy.

2.  Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter and cook over a medium low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens: 5-7 minutes, perhaps a little longer.

3.  Stir through a sieve to remove the bits of zest if you want a very smooth (curd).

4.  Set aside to cool slightly before transferring to a glass bowl and covering with waxed paper.  Refrigerate as soon as the lemon curd is lukewarm. Serve chilled.

Eggs and sugar

Fresh lemon zest

Adding the lemon zest before beating

Beat until light and frothy

Squeezing fresh juice

Adding the juice

… and the butter

Constant whisking

Stir through a sieve

Transfer and cover