STILL NEW YORK-HUNGRY

25. Shona's Apple Honey Scones (healthy breakfast carbs)

Imagine being a Scottish Mum among Italians.

You wanna give your kids an understanding of Scottish Cuisine. Scones are a staple, just as "23. Porridge with Gusto!" , tatties (potatoes)... (no, I won't add that one.)

Stupid enough if made traditionally, scones (and porridge) taste... plain – to put it nicely – as they're just the "carrier medium" for (clotted) cream and jam.

It's even more stupid when your five kids all take after their Italian father, gusto-wise.

And – as we shall all know by now – Cucina Italiana is ALL but plain.

What's Mummy to do?

PIMP the plain stuff with sweet stuff!

But not with unhealthy sugar – anyone would do that! – no: fruit, honey, maple syrup... (but only the Canadian as the American is bloody sugar water).

It does the trick... not only with the kids.

My novel series/shorts' MMC Vincent Romano's Mum Shona MacKenna is one smart gal, huh?

YOU wanna be as smart in the healthy fusion kitchen as her? Yeah? Then let's go.

Oh, by the way! The recipe's out of Ingolf Hatz & Julia Ruby Hildebrand – Das große Buch vom Apfel (in German, a cook- & baking book featuring sweet & hearty recipes with apple). It was the perfect recipe for using up a deteriorating apple and the honey from "21. Hattie's BAK- & Laura's BRAT-lava (sausaged carbs!)" . Ye know I don't like honey, but for some things it's just needed.

Okay, NOW let's get y'all some tasty and healthy carbs for breakfast... or – if you dare! – Afternoon Tea!




Serves: 15 enormous scones Recipe says 12. I musta caught too much baking powder, me fears.

Prep Time: 1-1.5 hrs Cooling off time not included

Degree of Difficulty: Easy




WE NEED

675 gr / 1.5 lb. flour Spelt here... and a bit ambitious for just 12
21 gr / 0.75 oz. cream of tartar Or baking powder.
175 gr / 6.25 oz. cold butter
1 Apple
100 gr / 3.5 oz. honey
1 egg
150 ml / 5 US fl.oz. milk



WE DO

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F fan/convection and line 1-2 baking trays with baking paper.


2. Thoroughly mix flour & cream of tartar/baking powder in a bowl. Dice the butter – You might have to put it back in the fridge for a few minutes as it needs to be REALLY cold – and mix in until you have a crumbly dough. I used the dough hooks of my hand-blender.


3. Wash + cut out the cores of the apple, and roughly grate it. It's a bloody Sauerei to do that by hand
, so I blitzed the apple. Shape a hollow in the dough and add apple, egg and 100 ml / 3.4 US Fl.oz. milk. Mix – by hand, hand blender, etc. – until you have a soft, supple dough. Shall it feel too dry, add milk tbsp-wise


4. Flour the working surface and roll out the dough about 3 cm / 1 in thick. With a 7 cm / 3 in cookie cutter – or, like in my case, a fitting glass – cut out circles and place them onto the baking tray(s) with some distance. Knead together dough rests and repeat until all dough is used up. The last scone looks like the first pancake.


5. Brush the scones with the remaining milk and bake for 10-15 minutes OR until they've risen and are golden brown. Since every oven works slightly different this can take longer/shorter




6. After taking the scones out of the oven, immediately brush them with the remaining honey. Halfway through I was out of honey, but maple syrup worked, too. But only Canadian and just enough to glaze.




7. Let the scones cool briefly, then serve 'em still slightly warm with butter or apple jam/jelly. OR eat them plain: apple and honey make them juicy + tasty enough IMHO.


Kept in an airtight container – in hot weather in the fridge! – they kept fresh a whole week! Just get them out about 10 minutes before eating and let them gain room temperature.



Guten Hunger!