Cranberry Orange Scones

These are good. Really good. Ina Garten made these on her show a few weeks ago and I had to try them. I love Ina, she is so luxurious in her East Hampton home, cruising around in her Mercedes with her denim button up on and the collar popped! She makes everything look so good. And this recipe didn't disappoint. Its pretty easy too. The only thing I do differently is triple the frosting :) You(I) need a little more than a drizzle of the orange glaze. Oh, and you might be tempted to glaze them right when they come out of the oven. Resist, the glaze just runs off (not that I would know). Wait until they are fully cooled, then go for the glaze.

Ingredients

* 4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
* 2 tablespoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
* 3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
* 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 cup cold heavy cream
* 1 cup dried cranberries
* 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
* 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

side note:

This sandwich looks delish (minus the goat cheese maybe? i'm not a huge fan). I have not yet tried it, but I think I will this week.


Ingredients

* 16 slices center-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
* 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 8 slices Pullman bread, sliced 1-inch thick
* 8 to 12 ounces really good quality brie
* 2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
* Watercress
* 8 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into 8 slices (recommended: Boucheron goat cheese)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the bacon in a large skillet or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Break each piece into fourths and set aside.

Heat a cast iron griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat.

Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Layer 4 of the slices of the bread with 3 to 4 slices of brie, 2 tomato slices, watercress, 2 slices goat cheese, and 4 slices of broken up bacon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the remaining bread slices on top, butter side up and cook on the griddle until golden brown on both sides and the brie has melted.