I made a batch of scones this week that I was particularly happy with, introducing crumbs of feta and thyme leaves to the dough, and offering them warm from the oven with a peppery butter of watercress and cucumber. A tiny mouthful of summer.
Afternoon tea is a timeless treat that rarely fails to delight, and never more so than in a shady corner on a summer’s afternoon. Homemade scones, freshly baked biscuits and a pot of tea is a treat beyond measure, especially if the rain stops for long enough to set them up on a table outside.
There was also a tray of sugar-dusted shortbread, made with the usual ingredients, but also with semolina and cornflour to give them a softer and more crumbly texture. Half were kept back for later, the others topped with cream, cherries and chopped pistachios and served in lieu of a cake. I should also mention the huge bowl of strawberries that brought wide smiles as it emerged from the kitchen.
In spite of, or perhaps because of, the cream, butter and sugar that lies at its heart, afternoon tea never seems to lose its attraction. Something the long queues for the event in hotels and restaurants cheerfully attest to. Perhaps it is a collective need for an occasional indulgence, for something which, no matter how simple, will always feel like a glorious treat.
Vanilla shortbread with pistachio and cherries
Crumbly shortbread made especially soft and tender by the addition of fine semolina and a little cornflour. The shortbread can be cut into wide fingers and finished with cream and fruit for a summer tea or dessert. Once baked and cooled, the biscuits will keep in an airtight tin for several days. Makes 16 pieces of shortbread. Ready in 1 hour, plus cooling
For the shortbread:
butter 250g
caster sugar 125g
vanilla bean paste 1 tsp, or a few drops of vanilla extract
fine semolina 50g
cornflour 50g
sea salt 2 good pinches
To finish: (for six)
cherries 18
double cream 250ml
vanilla bean paste a little, or vanilla extract
pistachios 3 tbsp, shelled
Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Line a shallow-sided baking tin measuring 20 x 30cm with a piece of baking parchment.
Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in the bowl of an electric mixer with the sugar, then beat until light and creamy. Mix in the vanilla paste or extract. Stir together the fine semolina, cornflour and a couple of generous pinches of sea salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter and sugar, then turn out the dough into the lined baking sheet and press it into shape. Be gentle, taking care not to compact the dough, carefully patting it out to fit the baking sheet. Prick all over with a fork.
Cut the dough into 16 pieces (8 across the long side, 2 across the short), then bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until pale gold. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sugar. (I also go over the score marks with a knife to make the biscuits easier to separate.)
Remove the stalks from the cherries, halve them and discard the stones. Pour the cream into a chilled bowl, stir in ½ tsp of vanilla paste or a few drops of extract and whip until thick. Place a shortbread biscuit on each of 6 plates and serve with cream and cherries. Roughly chop the pistachios and scatter over the cream. Keep the remaining shortbread in an airtight tin.
Feta scones, watercress and cucumber butter
Any scone should probably be eaten the day it is baked, but these will keep overnight, if necessary, in an air-tight container. The watercress butter is a suggestion. Use a little chopped anchovy in the butter if you prefer or a few finely chopped green olives. I suggest using sheep’s yoghurt as it seems appropriate with feta cheese, but you should use any yoghurt you have, or even buttermilk or crème fraîche. Makes 9 scones. Ready in 45 minutes.
plain flour 225g
baking powder 3 tsp
salt a fat pinch
butter 75g
thyme leaves 1 tbsp
feta cheese 100g
sheep’s yoghurt 150ml
egg and milk for glazing
For the butter:
butter 120g
cucumber 120g
watercress leaves 3 chopped tbsp
You will need a baking sheet lined with baking parchment
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 8. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips, or blend in a food processor until the texture is that of fresh soft breadcrumbs.
Chop the thyme leaves, stir them in, then add to the mixture. Crumble the feta cheese into small pieces, then stir in with the yoghurt. Bring together into a ball and place on a floured board, then pat or roll into a thick disc about 2.5cm in depth.
Using a 6cm round cutter, cut out 9 scones (8 from the original disc of dough, one from the cuttings, pressed together and patted into shape.) Place them on the lined baking sheet. Break the egg into a small bowl and pour in a splash of milk, beat briefly with a fork. Brush the top with a little of the egg wash, taking care not to let it run down the sides. Bake for 15 minutes until risen and pale gold, leave to cool a little, then transfer to a cooling rack.
For the cucumber butter: remove the butter from the fridge and leave to soften at room temperature. Coarsely grate the cucumber into a colander or sieve, place it on a shallow dish or in the sink and sprinkle it with salt. Leave for 30 minutes.
Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Squeeze the water from the cucumber in the palm of your hand, then stir into the butter with chopped watercress (if you don’t have watercress, add a grinding of black pepper). Serve the cucumber butter with the scones.
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