Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Peach Scones #recipe @LucyBurdette

 


LUCY BURDETTE: Last week was paperback release day for A SCONE OF CONTENTION, and to celebrate I'm sharing my recipe for peach scones. It's always amazing to me how much the books I write affect my life. One small example: before sending my characters to Scotland in SCONE, I had never made a scone. I didn't even think I much liked them. But because my character is a food critic, there's a lot of food in these books and recipes are required. So I began baking scones, including developing the prize-winning cinnamon scone recipe that Violet and Bettina Booth share with Hayley. (You can find that here.)

But these peach scones may be my favorite, because I love peaches so much. I buy them by the bushel from our local farm market and use them as often as I can. This recipe for peach scones uses those fresh peaches and is based on one I found in Baker by Nature. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!


Ingredients


2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

One stick a.k.a. 8 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter

One egg

1/2 cup sour cream

2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk

One cup ripe peaches, peeled and cut into small chunks

One egg white +1 teaspoon water

2 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling





Preheat the oven to 400°. Combine the dry ingredients with a fork. Take care to mix the brown sugar in thoroughly.


Placing the grater over the bowl of dry ingredients, grate the frozen butter into the bowl using the largest holes. Mix the butter in well with the flour mixture.



In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the egg, sour cream, and milk. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just moist. Carefully stir in the peaches.



At this point, dump the batter onto a piece of parchment paper and shape it into a circle. The batter will be wet and uncooperative, but carry on!



Cut the circle of dough into eight wedges and separate them slightly so there is space between each scone. Brush with the egg/water mixture and sprinkle with sugar.



Bake until beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Serve as you like with more butter, whipped cream, or just as they are. These freeze well and can be defrosted and warmed up for a treat on another day.



How about you Reds...have you found your eating or cooking affected by what you're reading or writing?


Here’s what they’re saying about A Scone of Contention

Burdette's plotting is reliably strong, the dialogue's lively, and her portraits of friendship in action add to the delight of this well-spun story of a truly unique honeymoon excursion. Beth Kanell, Kingdom Books


A scone-by-scone tour of glorious Scotland. Foodies and Outlander fans will rejoice in the references to both in this not-so-mysterious paean to Scotland. Kirkus

Burdette peppers “A Scone of Contention” with luscious scenes of Scotland, making readers yearn to travel there. It’s also a look at the country’s culture and history, where centuries-old feuds still fester. The savory food scenes move the plot along; and, yes, there are recipes.
“A Scone of Contention” moves at a brisk pace complemented by appealing characters. Hopefully, Hayley and Nathan can take a real honeymoon by themselves. Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel



52 comments:

  1. Yum! These look delicious, Lucy. Usually I make blueberry or cranberry/white chocolate scones, but I’m definitely trying these!

    I always appreciate the recipes that come with the stories . . . .

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    1. thanks Joan--I've not tried blueberry but I will!

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    2. I appreciate the recipes, too, Joan. Several of the recipes in Lucy's books are now standards in my house!! The coconut cake (which book is that from?) is to die for and the strawberry cake is incredibly reliable and flashy!!

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  2. I can't seem to get decent peaches around here-- not for years! Either they are bland and tasteless, or they taste and smell fine, but they have a mealy consistency. Maybe those would be ok in scones, but I don't bake. I mean, if I'm doing a food article, of course I'll test the recipe. But the oven and I are not friends as a rule. I don't mind the top of the stove, or the microwave, but I would be happy if I could cook everything on the gas grill. (Alas, I no longer have a gas grill, because open fires of any sort are not allowed in this apartment building.)

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    1. I wait until the local Connecticut peaches are in, otherwise, not worth eating!

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  3. ROBERTA/LUCY: I LOVE baking scones! Some scone recipes I have used for over 25 years (currant scones) but I must admit that I have never eaten or baked a peach scone. Ontario peaches (from Niagara Region) are the best and have started to arrive in the market. But my go-to scone recipe right now is the banana bread scone from Food52 which I have posted about on my FB page several times. FYI, I am not a huge fan of banana bread, but this scone works for me since you only need 1 very ripe banana so the scones do not have a strong banana-y taste.
    https://food52.com/recipes/82986-banana-bread-scones-recipe

    And yes, what I end up cooking at home can be influenced by what I am reading.

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    1. Oh thanks Grace, that's a great recipe to have on hand because we always have overripe bananas!

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    2. You're most welcome, Roberta. FYI, I don't put the chocolate in my scones so feel free to adapt the add-ins as you like.

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  4. Those look yummy, Roberta. I'm right there with you as a culinary cozy author, not to mention your Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blogmate. Always thinking about food and recipes! I'm writing a new series that won't have recipes and I find myself still describing the food they eat. ;^)

    Question - do the peaches get thoroughly cooked in these scones? I have sadly developed an allergy to fresh peaches, sad because I adore them. But I'm good if they are cooked.

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    1. I would say yes, they get cooked (18 min.) But if you make a batch and they aren't cooked enough, I'm afraid Hugh would have to eat them. How weird it must feel to be writing a series without recipes!

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  5. Hi Lucy. Scone of Contention sounds like a great read, and the peach scone recipe and pictures have my mouth watering. Sadly, I haven't yet found any Swiss man or woman who like tea-breads. The Swiss generally like their baked goods to be yeast breads (not at all sweet) or very sweet desserts. Scones, buttermilk biscuits, date-nut or banana bread: those fall between two stools. No one here understands what the point is of serving something only slightly sweet. So I have to make scones for myself or a US/UK guest. I love oat scones with raisins--just writing about them here is making me hungry for them!

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    1. That's interesting to hear that scones aren't popular in Switzerland. Or biscuits! Not enough English influence I guess?

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  6. Love the scones but even better: the reviews - the places and the food… almost as much fun as actually going there !

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  7. Not too many years ago, Irwin and I attended a wedding on Martha's Vinyard. We stayed in a B & B which served at least 2 types of freshly baked scones every morning for breakfast and we left with the chef's recipes for scones. I mark that weekend as the exact date of the start of my matronly weight gain. I arrived there wearing a pair of size 4 white jeans. Then I started baking fresh scones, and did not stop there. I cannot blame it all on scones and I certainly will bake them again, but my girlish figure is gone for good;>) sigh

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    1. That's so funny Judy! I would say exchanging the size 4 jeans for scones is a good trade:)

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  8. Oh, that looks so yummy. Thank you for sending it to us. The South Carolina peaches have started arriving here and they're so delicious. As in, juice running down your arm LOL. I'll definitely try this recipe although I am a horrible cook and baker.

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  9. Those look delicious. Not the ones I would generally choose but may have to try. I always enjoy the recipes in books and enjoy your books. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Grating the frozen butter is a life-changing technique, isn't it? I've used it twice in the last ten days, making cobbler and pie, and have gotten rave reviews on my crusts. I always have butter in the freezer, since I buy four pounds at once from Costco.

    Just last night a friend offered me some of her summer haul from the Peach Truck, and I had to turn her down since we leave Thursday morning for a few days. I should share this recipe with her, though. She has five grandchildren living within a couple miles, and I bet they'd love some peach scones.

    My daughter lives in the Cherry Capital of the World, Traverse City, so we will be eating all things cherry and whitefish this weekend. And I have at least one bag of dried cherries. Do you think this recipe would work for them, Roberta?

    Of course reading affects my appetite for the foods described! Our book club gets together over potluck dinners, and if there is food mentioned in the book at least one person tries to come up with a dish that includes it. The most interesting example was when we read a novel that talked about eeling. Maggie made eels in a spicy sauce, and we all had a taste. Not my favorite, I have to say. Mostly because of the texture.

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    1. Karen, I interchange fruit in baked goods all of the time. Usually, however, fresh fruit is much wetter, so I'd be aware of that if using dried cherries in place of fresh peaches.

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    2. I have an uncle in Michigan who often sends dried cherries to us. Here's an older recipe from when I couldn't eat salt. So you might want to use regular baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2016/12/dried-cherry-and-candied-ginger-scones.html

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    3. Thanks for the recipe!

      Grace, I could probably use more milk, or a little almond extract.

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  11. Thank you for this! This reminds me of my grandmother's peach cobbler....one if those things I have never been able to replicate. Niagara peaches are just beginning to come in, so peach scones are on the menu now.

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  12. The pictures of those scones look delicious, Lucy.
    What I read can certainly influence what I’ll eat and occasionally, I’ll try a cozy’s recipe.
    I’m not the greatest fan of scones. I tried some resto or bakery bought scones and cooked some that looked appealing. I think the texture doesn’t suit me and they are often too big for me.

    I’m more a fruit muffin kind of girl, not the big bought ones but the homemade medium ones. I have a healthy raspberry muffin recipe that I use with many other fruits, I could try with peaches.
    If I compare the 2-1/2 cups of dry ingredients for 1 cup of peaches for the scone with the 1-1/2 cups of dry ingredients for 1 cup of peaches for the muffin, the taste of peaches would comme out more.
    But as the peaches are more juicy than raspberries, I’m not sure, I would have to try.

    See, your post as your books has influenced me.
    Danielle

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  13. Lovely peach scones! I recently saw a recipe for peach bread which looked perfect for this steamy time of year. Not forgetting peach-blueberry pie. YUM!

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  14. All the time I am affected by the foods and recipes I come across when I am reading. Thos scones you made look absolutely delicious! I can't wait to make them. Surprisingly, I have been getting very good peaches from my supermarket. From what I learned in the past I know I want Southern peaches and not California ones. There doesn't seem to be any real local source for peaches around here, but I will be keeping my eyes open. Thanks, Lucy!

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    1. Agree, by the time peaches arrive from CA, they aren't very tasty. I bet they harvest them too early for shipping and then refrigerate?

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    2. Interesting, because we get ripe sweet, and juicy peaches here in California starting in mid May. Even from the grocery store, though the peaches from the farmer’s market are better.

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    3. We get delicious local peaches through June and July. After that I seldom buy them at the supermarket, but if I do I stick to southern.

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  15. These sound delicious! I used to try out recipes from various mysteries I read, but I no longer bake. However, if you ever need a taste-tester when you’re in Connecticut, I volunteer!

    DebRo

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  16. I am totally influenced by what I'm reading, as evidenced by my trips to the kitchen for another cup of tea or searching unsuccessfully for a tasty baked good when reading British (and other) mysteries.
    It goes beyond food, however. When reading a Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Whimsey novel there was a description of a "claret colored frock". My husband and I decided nothing would do but to go out and find one for me. And we did!

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    1. I love that Libby! I'm thinking claret colored is a deep red?

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  17. Hurrah for those reviews, Lucy! And the scones look delicious! My scones/biscuits/etc are a work in progress--too heavy to start with, but getting lighter. The problem is, I'm the consumer of all those attempts and I can't afford a new wardrobe :-), so I only bake when I can foist off (that is, share) my efforts on guests.

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    1. that reminds me of Dorie Greenspan, who bakes A LOT! She manages it by practicing what she calls "bake and release."

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  18. Peaches are my fave fruit! Thank you for this recipe - they look amazing! - and I loved this mystery!!!

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  19. Oh, these look so good Roberta! Like several other of the more northern commenters, I find it difficult to get really flavorful peaches up here. (And now I'm wondering if they will be a silver lining to climate change in that tasty georgia-style peaches will start growing in Maine...)

    Anyway, I love the recipe, and I love the suggestions for alternate fruits. My black raspberries and blackberries are coming in in abundance; I will give this a shot using those.

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    1. We have fabulous peaches in Amesbury, Julia, at Cider Hill Farm. Come south for a visit in August!

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    2. black raspberries--wow that could be amazing!

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  20. Roberta, these looks delicious! I have peaches so am very tempted to try them--only problem being that I can't turn on my oven... Congrats on the book! The paperback will make the perfect summer reading treat!

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  21. SWOONING!!! Nothing better than fresh peaches. Could we add blueberries? AND you are so amazing!!!

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  22. And I bought too many peaches on Tuesday. :) Just in time to try this.

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