Al Dente: Best Ginger Scones, and Who's Really Behind Your Family Recipe?

Best Ginger Scones, and Who's Really Behind Your Family Recipe?

by Rebekah Denn on September 06, 2010

My mom's "Senate Brownies" are the best ever -- except, as I learned the last time I publicly praised them, they're technically not hers. Mom left me a phone message that day telling me the long chain of recipe-borrowing that led back to the original (as far as we know) source brownie. In the same vein, my friend Lisa makes the best ginger scones I've had in my life, light, spicy, flaky creations similar to the legendary ginger biscuits at Seattle's Cafe Besalu.

I've always referred to the treats as "Lisa's ginger scones," although she certainly never claimed to have invented them. And when I lost the recipe once and asked her for a rewrite, she told me she'd found it on Epicurious, which in turn led me back to the legendary Nancy Silverton and her "Pastries from the La Brea Bakery".

I've been calling them "Lisa's scones" too long now to retrain my mouth to say "Nancy's scones", but in my head I know to credit her... and to check out Silverton's cookbook to see what other baking delights I can add to my (credited, of course) repertoire.

What paths have your recipes taken before coming to your door? Before you answer, throw some butter in the freezer so you can be ready to make some ginger scones of your (and Silverton's) own.

Ginger Scones

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
1 1/2 sticks (six ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
4 1/2 ounces candied ginger, finely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces to equal 2/3 cup
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing the tops of the scones

Directions:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and pulse or mix on low to incorporate.

3. Add the lemon zest and butter, and pulse on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal.

4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ginger. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

5. Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times to gather it in a ball. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about 3/4-inch thick. Cut out the circles, cutting as closely together as possible and keeping the trimmings intact.

6. Gather the scraps, pat and press the pieces back together, and cut out the remaining dough. Place the scones 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining cream.

7. Bake 12-16 minutes, until the surface cracks and they are slightly browned.

Makes 8 scones.

-- From Epicurious via "Pastries from the La Brea Bakery"

-- Rebekah Denn

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February 2012