Irish: Ballymaloe Coffee and Walnut Scones

[Guest guest]

@@@@@

Ballymaloe Coffee and Walnut Scones

 

2 lb flour

1 pinch salt

2 oz caster sugar, superfine sugar

6 oz butter

3 eggs

2-3 tablespoons coffee essence, (I used 1/4 cup freshly ground espresso powder)

15 fl oz milk, to mix

5 oz walnuts, chopped coarsely

Coffee Icing:

1 lb icing sugar, confectioners

2 tablespoons coffee extract, scant (hs note: I used 1/4 cup espresso powder)

4 tablespoons boiling water, approximately (hs note: I used about double this)

 

 

 

 

Sieve all the dry ingredients together. Rub in the butter and add the walnuts.

Make a well in the center. Whisk the eggs and coffee essense with the milk, add

to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board.

Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about 2.5cm (1 in)

thick and stamp into scones. Put onto a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven for

10-15 minutes until golden on top. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile make the coffee icing: sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the

coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of thick

cream. Spread each scone generously with coffee icing. Allow to set.

 

Makes 18-20 scones, using a 3-inch cutter.

 

Author: Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook

Source: Heidi Swanson for 101cookbooks.com

Formatted by Chupa Babi: 03.12.08

 

In the US scones are rarely eaten with butter or cream so be generous with the

icing.

 

HS Note: I talked him into letting me borrow Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery

Course cookbook, it looked as if it had been well loved. It is a massive,

beautiful book based on the recipes from her school in Ireland. It must have

1000+ recipes in it, spanning 600 pages - the photographs are stunning as well.

It will come as no surprise - there is no shortage of potato ideas in this

volume, but also goes well beyond that. Many of the recipes are inspired by the

garden and farm at the school. Her cooking style will resonate with anyone who

s to the fresh and seasonal approach to the kitchen - good earth, good

soil, good food.

 

There are a couple things you should know if you are going to try this recipe.

First off, it makes a lot of scones, and there is a lot of dough to handle. I

think partly because of this, in the end, my scones ended up a bit bready in

texture - absolutely delicious, nutty, hearty, and espresso flecked - but a

little tough and bready. I did this batch all by hand, and I think the gluten

built up a bit in the flour from trying to work in the liquids, and the bit of

kneeding. Next time around I'm going to cut the recipe in half and use the

processor to make the dough (although this method isn't exactly " slow " in spirit

- it really works for me - and I always end up with flaky pie crusts, biscuits,

and scones)... I'll cut the butter into the flour using 20+ pulses in the food

processor. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients (not the walnuts). Add the wet

ingredients and walnut halves and combine with another couple of pulses, and

then dump it out onto the

counter and shape without handling the dough anymore than I have too.

 

The icing is essential. Don't skimp on it. In the beginning I was carefully

spreading each little scone with this coffee-infused sweet goodness, until it

occurred to me to just go ahead and dunk the whole tops into the icing -

perfect, and much more efficient.

As a final sidenote, Darina's recipe calls for coffee essence, which I think is

just coffee extract in the US - but I just went ahead and used freshly ground

espresso powder which I had on hand. I'm sure it gives the scones + icing a

different look and slightly different flavor but is still similar in spirit, and

damn tasty - I might go back to the extract next time to see the effect on the

color and flavor.

 

-----

 

 

 

______________________________\

____

Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

I have never heard of espresso powder, but these sound good. If you can tell me

where to get expresso powder, I would like to try them.

Katie

 

Chupa Babi <recetta wrote:

@@@@@

Ballymaloe Coffee and Walnut Scones

 

2 lb flour

1 pinch salt

2 oz caster sugar, superfine sugar

6 oz butter

3 eggs

2-3 tablespoons coffee essence, (I used 1/4 cup freshly ground espresso powder)

15 fl oz milk, to mix

5 oz walnuts, chopped coarsely

Coffee Icing:

1 lb icing sugar, confectioners

2 tablespoons coffee extract, scant (hs note: I used 1/4 cup espresso powder)

4 tablespoons boiling water, approximately (hs note: I used about double this)

 

Sieve all the dry ingredients together. Rub in the butter and add the walnuts.

Make a well in the center. Whisk the eggs and coffee essense with the milk, add

to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board.

Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about 2.5cm (1 in)

thick and stamp into scones. Put onto a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven for

10-15 minutes until golden on top. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile make the coffee icing: sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the

coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of thick

cream. Spread each scone generously with coffee icing. Allow to set.

 

Makes 18-20 scones, using a 3-inch cutter.

 

Author: Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook

Source: Heidi Swanson for 101cookbooks.com

Formatted by Chupa Babi: 03.12.08

 

In the US scones are rarely eaten with butter or cream so be generous with the

icing.

 

HS Note: I talked him into letting me borrow Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery

Course cookbook, it looked as if it had been well loved. It is a massive,

beautiful book based on the recipes from her school in Ireland. It must have

1000+ recipes in it, spanning 600 pages - the photographs are stunning as well.

It will come as no surprise - there is no shortage of potato ideas in this

volume, but also goes well beyond that. Many of the recipes are inspired by the

garden and farm at the school. Her cooking style will resonate with anyone who

s to the fresh and seasonal approach to the kitchen - good earth, good

soil, good food.

 

There are a couple things you should know if you are going to try this recipe.

First off, it makes a lot of scones, and there is a lot of dough to handle. I

think partly because of this, in the end, my scones ended up a bit bready in

texture - absolutely delicious, nutty, hearty, and espresso flecked - but a

little tough and bready. I did this batch all by hand, and I think the gluten

built up a bit in the flour from trying to work in the liquids, and the bit of

kneeding. Next time around I'm going to cut the recipe in half and use the

processor to make the dough (although this method isn't exactly " slow " in spirit

- it really works for me - and I always end up with flaky pie crusts, biscuits,

and scones)... I'll cut the butter into the flour using 20+ pulses in the food

processor. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients (not the walnuts). Add the wet

ingredients and walnut halves and combine with another couple of pulses, and

then dump it out onto the

counter and shape without handling the dough anymore than I have too.

 

The icing is essential. Don't skimp on it. In the beginning I was carefully

spreading each little scone with this coffee-infused sweet goodness, until it

occurred to me to just go ahead and dunk the whole tops into the icing -

perfect, and much more efficient.

As a final sidenote, Darina's recipe calls for coffee essence, which I think is

just coffee extract in the US - but I just went ahead and used freshly ground

espresso powder which I had on hand. I'm sure it gives the scones + icing a

different look and slightly different flavor but is still similar in spirit, and

damn tasty - I might go back to the extract next time to see the effect on the

color and flavor.

 

-----

 

________

Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

http://www./r/hs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.