Recipe: Lavender Sugar Scones with Clotted Cream

Lavender Sugar Scones with Clotted Cream
Alt.cooking/Scrumdillicious (2000)

4 cups flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lavender sugar, divided, see note
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Clotted Cream, recipe follows

Heat oven to 425F. Grease a large baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup lavender sugar, the baking powder and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Separate egg, placing egg white in a cup and the yolk in a small bowl. With fork, beat egg yolk; stir in milk and cream. Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients and mix lightly with fork just until mixture clings together and forms a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead gently several times.

With lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough to 3/4-inch thickness. With 3-inch round cutter, cut dough into 12 round scones, rerolling dough as necessary.

Place scones 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet. Pierce tops with tines of fork. Brush with reserved egg white and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon lavender sugar.

Bake scones 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on edges. Remove to wire rack to cool to room temperature. Makes 12 scones.

Note: To make Lavender Sugar, process 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers in a food processor fitted with chopping blade. Flowers should be finely chopped. Store in airtight container.

Lavender flowers can be purchased at natural foods stores, cooking specialty stores and some supermarkets.

Clotted Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Dash salt
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and salt. Whip until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold in sour cream and mix until very thick. Chill until serving time, up to 4 hours. Makes 1 1/2 cups.