SYLVIA’S SCONES
Enter any tearoom in the English countryside and you’ll find scones served with clotted cream and jam. Clotted cream is hard to find across the pond in North America, but whipped cream is a tasty substitute.
Yield: about 16 scones

1 cup + 1 tsp milk 250 mL + 5 mL
2 tbsp white vinegar 30 mL
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour 575 mL
2 tbsp granulated sugar 30 mL
1 tsp baking powder 5 mL
_ tsp baking soda 2 mL
_ tsp salt 2 mL
_ cup dried currants 125 mL
1/3 cup lard or shortening 75 mL
1 egg yolk 1

Stir vinegar into 1 cup (250 mL) milk to make soured milk; let stand for 5 minutes.

In bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in currants. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Pour soured milk over top; toss with fork just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Gather dough together into ball. Turn out onto floured surface. Knead gently 10 times, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Shape into disc and press out to _ -inch (1 cm) thickness.

Using 2-_ -inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter or rim of glass, cut scones, re-rolling and cutting scraps; place on ungreased baking sheet. Whisk remaining milk with egg yolk; brush over tops.

Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Transfer to rack to let cool. Serve with jam and whipped cream.

Sylvia’s Suggestions:
Be sure to use currants and not raisins in this recipe, because raisins are too large for these small tea-sized scones.

TRIFLE

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