Cherry-Cranberry Fennel Scones

The Fennel and Golden Raisin Scones looked so pretty in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook that I decided to try them. My plan was to use up all the ingredients in my pantry before leaving for the States, but  I didn't have raisins on hand. I did have dried cherries and cranberry raisins. I didn't know how the combination would work but I went ahead anyway. Halfway through preparations, this recipe has to be frozen so it must be started the night before if you want them for breakfast. Or get up really early! Since Andy will be baking a few at a time for one person, I decided to brush the tops before freezing. To make these scones from start to finish takes at least 3 hours to 13 hours at most.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons fennel seeds, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups dried cherries and cranberry raisins combined, coarsely chopped
4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
1 large egg lightly beaten

Prepare the ingredients. In a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seeds coarsely. Set aside. Coarsely chop the cherries and cranberries and set aside. It's important to chop up the fruit otherwise large pieces get stuck in the biscuit/cookie cutter.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Add the dried fruit, cream, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Stir until the dough just comes together.

Make scones for freezing. Prepare a baking tray lined with waxed or parchment paper. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board. Dust your hands lightly with flour. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut rounds out of the dough. (My cookie cutter is 2 1/4 inches in diameter.) Place on the prepared baking tray about 1/2 inch apart. Gently pat the scraps together and continue cutting out rounds. I got 18  rounds out of this amount of dough.  Firm up the scones by freezing them for at least 2 hours or overnight. At the point, the scones can be put up in plastic bags for baking later. They can be stored for up to 3 weeks frozen.

Bake the scones. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Combine the beaten egg with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and brush lightly on top of the rounds. Using your thumb and forefingers, sprinkle the top of each round lightly with fennel seeds. Place the scones 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the scones are golden and the tops are flecked with brown spots. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. Scones are at their best on the day they are baked.

The Cake Baker's Notes: I discovered that the scones were underdone even after 25 minutes. Perhaps the egg wash made them soggy. In any case, I recommend baking an additional 5 minutes or more, in 5 minute increments, up to a total of 10 additional minutes. The flavor was a cross between a savory and a sweet scone. The fennel gave it a light licorice flavor and the cranberries were tangy-sweet. The cherries were negligible, probably because they were unsweetened. I'd make this again using the flavored dried cherries since they have a stronger flavor to complement the fennel.

Stone Fruit and Berry Galette

Blueberries, blackberries, and nectarines

I've wanted to make a stone fruit and berry galette ever since I saw the recipe for an apricot and blackberry galette in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I tried it in Calgary earlier this summer but the pastry dough was  so much trouble. It's much easier to use frozen puff pastry! This is my version of the galette using nectarines which are in season.

Three cups of nectarines, blueberries, and blackberries drizzled with lime juice and sprinkled with sugar, cornstarch, and salt. 

 The puff pastry rolled out on a silicone mat is ready for filling and baking.

 Mound that delicious fruit in the middle of the dough and...

…Fold up the edges

1 frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting
3 cups mixed stone fruit and berries (e.g. nectarines, blackberries, and blueberries)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon granulated sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a rimmed baking tray with a silicone mat or a sheet of parchment paper.

First, cut the nectarines into slices. This is easy to do; simply slice the flesh off around the stone. Then slice the fruit into 1 inch slivers and discard the core with the stone. Put the nectarine slices, the blackberries and blueberries into a large bowl. Drizzle with lime juice. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add to the fruit and gently toss. Set aside.

Place the  mat or parchment paper on the counter-top. You are going to roll and fill the pastry dough on the mat/parchment because it's difficult to lift it once it has been filled. Dust the mat/parchment lightly with flour and roll out the thawed puff pastry into a 12x14 inch rectangle. With the pastry on top, gently lift the mat/parchment by the edges and put it in the baking tray. Mound the fruit in the center leaving a 2 inch border all around. Then fold up the edges, making pleats so that the fruit is snug against the pastry. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. If any sugar is left over, just sprinkle it on top of the fruit!

Place the pastry on the baking tray in the oven (the oven rack should be in the middle) and bake 40-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove the baking tray and let it rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a flat spatula, gently ease the galette off the mat/parchment and onto the cooling rack to cool completely. If any juices are released, no worries. When the galette cools, the sauce thickens.

Slice into square and serve at room temperature with ice cream or crème fraîche--which I prefer to whipped cream because of its tangy taste. Here is a recipe for quick crème fraîche from my other favorite cookbook The Cake Bible:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Whip until soft peaks form. Delicious!