Whatever Martha

Hello World,

I spent a good part of this week with one of my favorite moguls, Martha Stewart, or two of her books at least.  Since I want to get my house in order I decided to borrow Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook from the library. I learned tons of great stuff and think it's a great book to have on hand when you are trying to figure out things like how to unclog a drain or get a stain out of something. I also realized that there is no way in the world I could do half of the things in her book and actually have a life. This book seems to be geared toward people who manage people's homes for a living. That being said I really liked a lot of the information in it and would recommend that anyone should flip through the book and learn something new.

I also borrowed and renewed her Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook to see if I like it before I buy it. I enjoyed reading through the general baking tips and techniques. I'm the type of person that really likes to know the what ingredients bring to a recipe like why room temperature butter is important. Martha's book does a good job at this, but Bon Appetit Desserts does a great job. In December I made her cranberry-almond biscotti for Christmas gifts and they were a hit. So much so that I had to bring more to the in-laws the following week.  I made some with just cranberries for the baby and she loved them. A few weeks ago I made her Chocolate Chunk cookies and they came out good as well. I'm embarrassed to say that my favorite cookie of all time is Pillsbury Chocolate chip cookies.  Maybe in a previous life I was a cookie taster...anyway it was definitely a good cookie, but I prefer a chewier cookie.

This weeks pick were her scones. I looooove scones and couldn't not make these. My husband couldn't find any dried currants on his grocery run so I decided to split the recipe in half and make half chocolate chip and half cranberry. They came out great. They were soft and tender and the cream/egg wash made the top a little flaky.  The great thing is that you can freeze them and then pop them in the oven for 30 minutes for breakfast in the morning. Surprisingly they are sweet enough with the add ins considering there is only 2 tablespoons of sugar in the mixture.  I did sprinkle the top with sanding sugar to add some crunch. I definitely recommend you try this recipe.

Currant Scone (Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

4/1/2 cups all- purpose flour                     1 cup dried currants
2 tbs granulated sugar                               2 1/4 heavy cream, plus more if needed
2 tbs baking powder                                 1 large egg yolk
1 tsp baking soda                                      Sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold
   cut into small pieces

Line two baking sheets with parchment pater;set  aside. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Fold in the currants.  Make a well in the center.

Pour 2 cups cream into the flour mixture. Using your hands, draw the dry ingredients over the cream, gradually gathering and combing the dough until it just comes together.  If it is too dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  With lightly floured hands, gently press and pat the dought into an 11- by -7-inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick.  Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut the rectangle into 16 triangles.  Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheets; cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the dough is very firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.  (At this point, you can freeze the unbaked scones in a resealable plastic bag until ready to bake, up to 3 weeks.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with the remaining 1/4 cup cream; brush over the tops of the scones and sprinkle generously wit sanding sugar, if using.  Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the tops are golden and flecked with brown spots, 30 to 35 minutes.  You can also lift one scone with a spatula to check that the bottom is golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  They are best eaten the day they are baked.


Smooches,

Keli
What would you do if you weren't afraid?