I was walking by the meat section at the grocery store on the weekend and saw this beautiful piece of cooked ham. Thought I would make some savoury scones out of it, simple recipe, easy to make and delicious. As always, I’ve put pictures of the various stages below. Total working time – from start to clean-up, less than 1 hour.
Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tblsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
½ stick Butter (diced)
1 cup Old Cheddar
1 cup Cooked Ham
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (I like it spicy so this may be a lot)
Couple of coarse Grinds of Pepper
½ cup Cream
½ cup Milk
½ cup Chopped Green Onion, Shallots or Chives
Preheat oven to 425F
Mise en Place – see the picture
Mix Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Sugar
Add butter and mix to incorporate – typical pea sized dough
Add Cheddar, Ham, Cayenne and Pepper – mix
Combine the Cream and Milk – add to the flour mixture slowly i.e. add about ¾ cup first, to form a dough – add more if it is too dry
Empty the dough onto a floured surface (again if too dry, add a little milk/cream – don’t panic, you are making scones not a soufflé)
Pat the dough into a square shape (or oval or round – your choice) – ½” thickness (or thicker if you like, just adjust the baking time upward if thicker)
Cut into 2×2 squares if you have a square shape, traditional 8 wedge shapes if a circle, or into 2” rounds using a cookie cutter if any other shape – dough can be reformed and cut – just don’t overwork the dough
Place the unbaked scones on a parchment lined baking tray
Brush the tops with some additional cream/milk mix, sprinkle the chopped Green Onion onto the surface and bake for 20 – 22 minutes. Talk about awesome! Enjoy!