Posts Tagged ‘Butter’




Orange Scone Recipe

Thursday, April 21st, 2011





An English Scone

Ain’t Nothin’ But A

Fancy Oklahoma Biscuit!






 photo PICT0308_zpsb1b7eacd.jpg


Yep, that’s what I tell anybody who says to me, “A scone? What’s a scone??” when I am showing off the three scones mixes that I carry at the shopping page. The Victorian House Original Recipe Scones are especially good because you can add anything you like to them like 1/2 cup of white chocolate and 1/3 cup of Craisins to create “addiction from a bag”! They are handy because you can make them ahead of time and either freeze them raw for baking later, or keep them in the frig raw for baking the next day. And one bag makes 16 big scones – a bonus! Packaged scones are a great thing to have on hand for a quick tea with the neighbor, a relaxing treat for your afternoon or a wonderful “thank you” gift in a pinch. The Victorian House Scones are an authentic Scottish scone, made with buttermilk.


But for those who like to say, “I make MY scones from scratch” – you know, the: “I grew the wheat, dried the wheat, ground the wheat, milked the cow, churned the butter, separated the cream AND got the eggs from our chickens” kinda gals – ok, so you got the ingredients at the store and put them into the mixer! Whatever – it’s homemade! – here is a recipe for you. These scones are fluffy and light and just keep you wanting more. This recipe is my own recipe that I have developed over many, many attempts at scones. And yes, if I should ever decide to market the mix, I WILL have to kill you. 🙂 This recipe uses the dried orange zest from a couple of posts ago. And these are the English type of scone. So here you go:


English Style Orange Scones


  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 cup splenda + 1/4 cup powdered milk
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Dough Enhancer (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • fresh zest of orange or 1 tsp dried zest
  • 2-3 tbsp orange juice concentrate
  • 6 tbsp cold butter cut into pieces
  • 1 egg white (reserve the egg yolk)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream


  •  photo PICT1338_zps36627fb6.jpg



    Add flour to mixing bowl


     photo PICT1339_zpsbdc493ad.jpg



    Add Baking Powder


     photo PICT1345_zps9d827960.jpg



    Add sugar or Splenda. If using Splenda add powdered milk.


     photo PICT1351_zps6e26ba86.jpg



    Add dough enhancer – this is optional


     photo PICT1353_zpse715ed64.jpg



    Add salt


     photo PICT1355_zps7d43bdf4.jpg



    Cut butter into pieces


     photo PICT1357_zpse5b740d3.jpg



    Using mixer or dough blender, cut butter into flour until the mix resembles small peas.


     photo PICT1359_zpsb377a25a.jpg



    Add orange zest.


     photo PICT1363_zpse0cca0f1.jpg



    Add 2 -3 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate to the mix depending on how much of an orange flavor you prefer. Stir in


     photo PICT1366_zpsf0b63504.jpg



    Add egg white and stir (you can use a whole egg if using Splenda for more moistness)


     photo PICT1370_zps865d5202.jpg



    Add cream


     photo PICT1372_zps0600d704.jpg



    Mix until dough just holds together


     photo PICT1374_zps95a44d09.jpg



     photo PICT1378_zps733dc5dd.jpg



    Place dough on a floured surface like the The Oklahoma Pastry Clothâ„¢. Pat the dough out into an 8″ circle and cut into 8 triangles


     photo PICT1380_zpsfc3769e9.jpg



    Place scones on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and brush with a mixture of the reserved egg yolk and 3 tbsp cream.


     photo PICT1381_zpsa806c5cd.jpg



    Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes depending on how fast your oven is. You want them to be golden brown. If you would like, dip the tops of the freshly baked scones in the following icing:


    Orange Flavored Icing


  • 1 Tbsp melted butter
  • 2 Tbsp frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
  • Pinch of orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp milk


  •  photo PICT1383_zpsc7771e20.jpg



    Stir orange juice concentrate into melted butter


     photo PICT1387_zpse1a87e2e.jpg



    Add powdered sugar and stir. Add milk and continue stirring until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if it is too runny.


     photo PICT1390_zpsf85c695e.jpg



    Add vanilla


     photo PICT1392_zpsf31946e4.jpg



    Add pinch of orange zest. Stir and then dip the tops of the scones into the icing.


     photo PICT1397_zps4afcc5c9.jpg






    Serve warm or cold. The scones in the forefront are the ones made with Splenda. They are a little heavier and hold their shape. The ones in the background are made with sugar and are lighter and more puffy. Serve with tea and lemon curd and you are set!!




    Happy “Ta-Ta” and “Cheerio”!



    MB
    Please join us on FaceBook!!


    Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below!


    Image and video hosting by TinyPic



    Canning Butter

    Thursday, February 24th, 2011






    “Well Butter My Biscuits



    And Call Me Canned!”



    I have a question. If milk is nature’s most perfect food, as we ALL learned in our science classes many years ago and have heard on many a dairy commercial, why isn’t butter perfect too? Why has butter gotten such a bad rap when it is simply the richest part of the milk that has been whipped to a frenzy? All I know is that butter is all-natural and has to be a whole lot better for you than the fake spreads that marketers have tried to pawn off on us as the nutritionally better alternative. We humans seem to always go down the road of trying to improve on what comes naturally and then wind up right back where we started, concluding that the original product isn’t so bad after all.

     photo MH900293562_zpsecb26915.jpg



    I have admitted my affinity for butter in past posts but I am in no way an addict to the stuff. Really. I can quit using it anytime. Really. I use it in moderation mixed with olive oil and am known to spread it sparingly on a slice of fresh homemade bread. Really. But there is simply no substitute for the stuff when it comes to sauces, cajun cuisine and toast.

     photo sun_zpsc2b6182e.jpg



    So did you hear about the solar flares that scientists are afraid are going to destroy the earth? Well, not destroy exactly…just leave us in an electronic lurch which would pretty well destroy the majority of us who can’t live without a cell phone, computer or electric toothbrush. How in the world can I keep my precious butter from spoiling if our refrigerators aren’t running? Well, I can it, silly! I gathered all of the info I could from several sources on the internet and have started canning part of my butter when I find it on sale. The Indians in India have been canning clarified butter, called ghee, for ages and ages. I like to can my butter whole. Take a peek at what is working for me:


     photo PICT1167_zps99940fcb.jpg

    Wash jars in hot soapy water and boil in a large pot or wash on the sterilize cycle in the dishwasher. Place the jars on a cookie sheet. Here I am using 8 oz jars which hold about 1 1/3 sticks of butter. In this run, I used 9 – 8 oz jars for 12 sticks of butter or 3 lbs. Put the cookie sheet of jars into a 250º oven and heat for 20 minutes.


     photo PICT1170_zps15458ade.jpg

    Place sticks of salted butter in a large pan. I do about three pounds at a time simply for ease. The larger pots get too heavy to manipulate and butter gets everywhere.


     photo PICT1172_zpsc6a1244a.jpg

    Slowly melt the butter on medium heat, stirring constantly with a metal spatula to keep from scorching on the bottom. A spatula with holes is ideal because the melted butter is pushed through the holes during stirring and helps to keep it uniform.


     photo PICT1175_zps8efb2970.jpg

    When the butter is totally melted but not quite boiling, continue to stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. A thick, white foam will appear.


     photo PICT1179_zpsacf2b7af.jpg

    While melting the butter, place lids in a pot of water and bring to a near boil to prepare lids. Turn heat down to keep lids warm.


     photo PICT1184_zps81697096.jpg

    Remove jars from oven and immediately ladel butter into the jars, using a canning funnel. Be sure and stir the butter around and dip deep, pulling up, in order to keep the butter uniform, as it separates. Fill to leave a 3/4″ head space.


     photo PICT1187_zps37bb8a06.jpg

    Carefully wipe the edges of the jars with a damp cloth to remove any butter. Butter on the rims will cause the jars not to seal.


     photo PICT1188_zps10652aef.jpg

    Place the lids on the jars and attach rings, tightening slightly. Place jars into a waterbath canner that has water already heated and enough to cover the jars 1″. The water needs to be heated because the jars of butter are hot and will crack in cool water. As soon as water begins to slowly boil, set timer for 15 minutes.


     photo PICT1205_zpsea2c3fbd.jpg

    When jars have been processed for 15 minutes, turn off heat and allow to cool down in the water for another 10 minutes. Then, lift the rack to top of canner and remove jars with canning tongs.


     photo PICT1208_zps2a0fbc4f.jpg

    When the jars are cool enough to handle, now comes the tedious part. Every few minutes shake the jars up and down in order to make the butter uniform. If you notice in this photo, the jars to the left have sediment on the bottom and foam on the top. Shaking incorporates this into the clarified portion. Go about your business, but about every 5 minutes, stop and shake the jars. As they cool, they will stay more and more uniform. I set a timer to remind myself so that I can do clean-up.


     photo PICT1212_zpsdfd875b2.jpg

    This butter is totally cooled and ready to store in the pantry. Aren’t they pretty? I read one homesteader’s take on canning butter and she said that they actually opened some from 1999 and it was still good. Don’t think I would keep it THAT long, but it wouldn’t matter because it wouldn’t last that long around here anyway!!


     photo PICT1172_zpsc57259b3.jpg

    Canned butter is not quite as smooth as fresh butter, but if you are wanting a smooth, healthy spread, you can make the same recipe posted earlier with olive oil or canola oil. Just scrape butter from an 8 oz jar into the food processor or blender.


     photo PICT1174_zps1f91917b.jpg

    Add 1/3 cup oil. If you have canned your butter in larger jars, adjust amounts of oil. For example, a 1 pt jar of butter would require 2/3 cups of oil.


     photo PICT1176_zps89af1c02.jpg

    Process until smooth


     photo PICT1170_zps299d4b0d.jpg

    Pour back into jar and allow to harden in the frig. It will go back to the consistency of smooth, spreadable butter. Pass the Lobster, please!!



    Happy Canning!



    MB
    Please join us on FaceBook!! And don’t forget to leave a comment below in the comment section!