Renovations are done! I know some of you attending my classes at the Loblaw’s PC Cooking Schools have heard me speak of the process and the progress as the weeks went on. It is amazing how many things you need to pick out when you are completely renovating a bathroom (or in our case, two bathrooms). All I can say is thank heavens my wife was on top of it all. They look great – thanks hon!
Now on to today’s recipe – Date and Bacon Scones! I know, I had you at bacon! Me too! One of my favorite flavors of all! These are lovely scones which make a great breakfast, brunch or tea time treat. The texture is cakey – but don’t let that deter you from making these. The Medjool dates aid in keeping the scones moist, I like them this way. Not too sweet but very satisfying. The sprinkling of sugar on top also aides in the unique taste of these scones. There are versions of this recipe on practically every site I follow, pretty much the same. So here is my take from an Epicurious site.
So make these scones for tea today. You can substitute anything for the bacon if that is not your care. For savory, I might try my favorite combo – rosemary and garlic lightly sautéed in olive oil just to soften and take the sting out of the garlic and make the oil fragrant with the combination. What about jalapeno and cheddar with a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. For a sweeter taste try raisins, chocolate chips or my favorite currants. But if you do decide on the garlic/rosemary choice, don’t do a 1 for 1 substitution as it will completely overwhelm the scones. I would do a ¼ cup olive oil with 2 sprigs of chopped rosemary and a couple of cloves of garlic – also chopped. Saute this over low heat to soften, let cool completely then add just the cooked items – save the oil for cooking, to the scones. This should add enough flavor and moisture to the dough. If it is too sticky – just adjust with a little more flour. Don’t overwork the dough though. As always – enjoy!
2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons Churn 84, cubed
1 cup chopped pitted dates – I used Medjool
6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Pre-heat the oven to 375f and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
To your food processor, add the dates (make sure you have removed the seeds) and pulse to chop
Remove from the processor and set aside – add ¼ cup of flour and stir with a fork to break up and coat the dates
Without washing the processor, add the remaining 2 cups of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
Pulse to incorporate, add the cold butter and continue to pulse until it forms a crumbly texture
Add the flour coated dates and crumbled cooked bacon and finally the cream
The dough is sticky and might be hard to work with – empty it onto a floured surface and knead lightly to bring it together
Pat into a 1/4” – 3/8” rectangle, cut into squares and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet
Here’s the decadent part, brush with some leftover bacon grease or cream, sprinkle the tops with the coarse sugar and bake for 18 – 22 minutes – as always, keep an eye on them around 15 minutes or so, leave in longer if need be, remove if ready!
Scones should be lightly colored – depending on if you use cream or bacon fat (yum!)
Let cool (or not) and devour with butter, clotted cream and/or jam!
