Once upon a scone in a land not so very far away an old Scottish lass asked an English lady to describe the perfect scone. Is the perfect scone a complex affair resplendent in such fine attire as a caramel glaze? Is it filled with candied bacon, dried fruits, or asiago cheese?
If I were to serve a high tea would my scones be simple so that the clotted cream and fresh berries would take center stage? Or would the baker within demand that her creation take center stage?
I thought about that for, perhaps, way too long. That question I was truly asking myself is if the baker could assume the supporting role and let the condiments take center stage? Could I serve a high tea that was less of me?
My instinct is that the scone needs to be simple. It might be a buttermilk or cream scone. The crumb will be tender and somewhat flakey like a biscuit. It will be slightly sweet but definitely not sweet like a dessert.
I am going to play with scones and see if I can make a simple scone that allows the clotted cream and berries to take center stage. And the tea? Oh yeah. The baker forgot about the tea. My favorite has always been Ceylon.
Please don’t tell the English lady that the Scottish lass forgot the tea. I got carried away with myself and the perfect scone.