Rainy Cold Spring Sunday: Scones, Soup and a Scary Movie

Respite from the unnatural, vaguely apocalyptic warm weather NYC has been experiencing lately arrived on Sunday. Rain lashed the ancient windows of Cafe Drake as we celebrated the justified early afternoon lighting of candles by brewing a cozy pot of vervain tea (self conscious homage to M. Proust as it's really quite bland stuff) and getting busy in the kitchen. Fresh scones first, made simply and unadorned to accompany a steaming pot of late-season pumpkin and miso soup and also serve double duty slathered with butter and red currant preserves for a 5PM snack. 

OUR EASIEST SCONE RECIPE

These are bare bone but delicious scones, best with lots of sweet butter and superior jams or preserves. If you'd like or actually require more, add 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots to the dry mix; savory palettes might try instead 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar and 1/2 t. dry mustard (add after incorporating butter with flour mixture). Greater success is likely if you use all COLD ingredients, especially the butter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and move rack to the top 1/3 of your oven. Butter a baking sheet and set aside.

In a large, deep mixing bowl combine: 2 cups self-rising flour, 1 t. baking powder, 2 t. sugar and 1/2 t. salt. Mix well and then break into mix 1/2 stick butter. Rub vigorously with your fingers until the flour clumps and resembles almost very large bread crumbs.

Stir in 150 ml buttermilk (roughly 3/4 cup) and knead gently until the dough forms a ball. Do not over mix. Press the dough out into a circle about 3/4" thick - no need to get picky here. Cut into 6-8 wedges and place on baking sheet. Brush tops with 1 egg beaten with a few drops of buttermilk.

Bake for 15 minutes. Good hot, room temperature or toasted.

A break from incessant chutney duties was an hour on the sofa, reclining under throws and Lloyd, reading Shirley Hazzard short stories followed by a viewing of our childhood fave film The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. This gentle horror-thriller manages to soothe and subtly spook at the same time, equaled in a sort of cool, nihilistic beauty only by the amazing promotional art work (samples seen above).