MONDAY RECIPE POST - HAM, CHEESE AND SCALLION SCONES FOR THE BRUNCH CROWD - MAKES 10

My scone offerings to George the Bunny, Berty the Bee, Sophie the Squirrel, Bernard the Bird, and the Pilgrim Birds Mr. and Mrs. Plymouth Rock (these two are visiting even earlier but I wanted to enjoy them just a bit longer this year.  Berty the Bee asked if I could replace those spiky cones with flowers as he said he would find them more comfortable to sit on.  My reply was okay, next time I go to the store you will have your flowers, and I'll be sure to bring back a bottle of honey so that you won't have to work so hard. Berty was happy!  I am getting in touch with a pinch of inner child, a dash of whimsy, brushed with an even bigger dash of kindness on the top.  These are always good additions to any recipe.

I made my scones yesterday, Sunday the 10th.  They were a delicious addition to brunch and were well received. I found them here at Tasting Table, host Katie Rosenhouse.  I always highly recommend visiting the original recipe, at this link, to see all the tips beforehand, and also to look at photos and other recipes.  There is a YouTube video where Katie goes through all the steps at her website - you can see it on YouTube if you click here.

 

Ham, Cheese, And Scallion Scones Recipe - makes 10 scones Approximately 454 calories per scone.

3-¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1-½ tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¾ cup salted butter, cold, cubed

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 ounces maple ham steak, cut into small cubes

1 cup thinly sliced scallion

⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half, divided (the 2/3 cup will be mixed into the dough, the 2 tablespoons will be brushed on top of the scones before baking)

1 large egg

Optional Ingredients:

Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set aside.

Measure out all ingredients before you start and have them close so that it will make the steps easier (see my notes below).

In a medium bowl, stir to combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and paprika. 

Add butter and work in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until only pea-sized bits remain visible.

Fold in the cheese, ham, and scallions.

Whisk to combine ⅔ cup of half-and-half with the egg. Pour into dry mixture and toss lightly to combine. 

(Katie described the dough as looking a bit shaggy.)  

Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and gently press to form a 4x14-inch rectangle (it should be about 1-½-inches thick). 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

Cut dough into 5 equal sections. Then cut each section into 2 triangles. 

Space the triangles out across the baking sheet. 

Brush the tops with the remaining half-and-half and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt, if using.

Bake for 24-26 minutes until golden brown.

Transfer to a rack to cool slightly.

Serve warm.

My scones didn't turn out the perfect triangles that I would have liked, but there was no doubt that they tasted great.

Notes from Kathleen:

"The dough should be "shaggy" in its appearance." 

"Chilling the dough helps keep the fat (butter) cold, making for flaky layers within the scones. It also helps control the spread when the scones hit the heat of the oven, and makes them easier to cut,"

"When the dough has chilled, but before you've thrown it in the oven, you want to cut it into perfect, scone triangles. She suggests doing this by cutting the rectangle of dough into squares before cutting each square diagonally to make the triangles.”

"Bake and cool before serving."

"If you don't have half-and-half on hand, using half milk and half cream will have the same effect.  You are looking to add richness and fat to the dough, but straight cream would be overwhelming.  The combination of milk and cream gives the scones a flaky, rich, texture, without weighing it down."

My notes:

I have one other savory scone recipe that is very similar to this.  You can find that at this link to compare. 

I got everything prepared and ready the night before, so that I could easily bake the scones first thing in the morning.  The aroma of freshly baked anything is always very welcoming.

I combined the flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and paprika in a bowl, gave them a good mix to combine and covered the bowl tightly with foil to continue the next morning.

I also measured out the rest of the ingredients in separate containers, and refrigerated what needed to be.   

The mixture seemed a bit dry after adding the egg with the half and half.  As I thought my large egg was on the small side, I added another egg and a little more half and half, which I whisked together and added to the dough.  After mixing it in the dough seemed better to me.  You can be your own judge if you think the extra is needed.  

The next morning I followed the recipe and it was easy, the process went smoothly, and we had that wonderful aroma wafting through the house.

I used cubed sliced deli ham that was already in the fridge.

I have included the full website address next if you prefer cutting and pasting instead of using my links:

https://www.tastingtable.com/1378571/ham-cheese-and-scallion-scones-recipe/

That's it!  If I have missed anything and you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.