The Cheese Board's Corn Cherry Scones

I may have mentioned before that I am somewhat of a pedant in the kitchen. I like to have the exact ingredients called for, and I don't like cutting corners, especially when I'm testing recipes. But even the most organized and type-A cook can get thrown for a loop when time is of the essence and the buttermilk-man still hasn't made his rounds to the grocery stores in the neighborhood. And so it went this morning, when while toiling away at the elliptical machine, I thought of making fresh scones for breakfast.

I had only a bit of time before going to work, so I scurried to one store to look for dried cherries and buttermilk. No dice. I bought dried cranberries instead of dried cherries, but had no recourse when told that the buttermilk hadn't been delivered yet. I sped on to another store, barreling down the street while the winds pushed back against me. This next store, however, had also not gotten their buttermilk shipment. So I thought, er, creatively, and bought a quart of kefir instead. I zipped home, grumbling at the thought of all these substitutions to contend with, and hating the fact that I'd wasted precious time trying to find the right ingredients.

Back at the ranch, things only got worse when I realized I'd run out of all-purpose flour on New Year's Eve and hadn't replaced it yet. I had to turn to a bag of organic pastry flour (that had, incidentally, expired in December - oogh). With a frown firmly planted on my face, I quickly set about making what I was convinced would be Total Failure Scones. I followed a recipe that the LA Times had tracked down for an eager reader back two winters ago, and which comes from The Cheese Board, a collective bakery in Berkeley.

The stiff dough came together quickly while the oven preheated. The kefir mixed in nicely, and the creamy yet sour aroma mimicked buttermilk quite well. I gently formed balls of dough, placed them on a baking sheet (forming 11 scones instead of 14), and sprinkled the tops with 1 teaspoon of sugar instead of the 2 tablespoons called for. I slid the sheet into the oven, then turned the heat down and ran off to get ready for work. 20 minutes later, the scones were burnished and golden. While still hot, they were cakey and soft. But as I walked to work munching on one, it cooled to a delicate crumbly state - just as it should. The cornmeal gave it a pleasing crunch, and the cranberries (of which there were not enough!) peeked jewel-like through the yellow crumb.

I found the scones to be a bit sweet for my taste - I like a scone to tolerate a goodly amount of jam on top, and this one wouldn't have stood up to that treatment. But Ben will love them, I'm sure, and I'll freeze a few for toaster oven warm-up later this week. As for my pedantry, I did breathe a sigh of relief when I saw a photograph of the original scones online that looked exactly like my own. But it didn't exactly free the ties that bind me to be exacting in the kitchen. 

Comments

[Melissa]

The Berkeley Cheese Board used to make some herb-cheese bread that I can still taste vividly to this day, despite not having eaten it in nearly two decades. It was that good. But I'm very impressed with the scones - not only because they look so delicious, but because you actually have the time to hit the gym, peruse two grocery stores and whip up scones from scratch before work! I'm lucky if I can get both socks on before running out the door...

[Robin]

You can buy powdered buttermilk at Whole Foods--it keeps in the refrigerator for a long time, so you'll always have "buttermilk" on hand for scones or pancakes or anything baked. I used it this weekend to make cinnamon rolls! It sounds sketchy but works fine and is even recommended by the persnickety people at Cook's Illustrated (much to my relief--I am pretty recipe-bound, too).

[efb]

I'm a bit of a pedant too in the kitchen. I think when following a recipe, I like to know if it works the way it was written. Whereas if I'm just improvising, well then it's just that -- improv and you make do with what you have. That can also be a lot of fun.

The scones sound really tasty!

[Tania]

These sound delicious! And I am so very relieved that I'm not the only one who starts baking only to realize I've not replaced an important ingredient I've run out of. Once, after realizing I had no vanilla extract in the middle of baking a cake, I ended up paying $15 for a scant few tablespoons of Fair Trade organic vanilla at a local gourmet shop because it was closer to home than the grocery store. You'd think I would have learned my lesson ... Anyway, I'm with Melissa, too, about your morning routine. How enviably organized you are!

[Lindy]

These look great. I like the idea of the corn/cherry combo.

You probably already know that you can add a spoonful of vinegar to regular milk to make it a good buttermilk substitute in baking?

When my daughter lived in Berkeley, I used to visit her there, She lived right near the Cheese Board, just off Shattuck. I thought the Cheese Board pizza was stupendously good.

[Jen]

A very ambitious (and well executed) morning! The Cheese Board published a wonderful cookbook in 2003 that has a great collection of quick scones recipes (my favorite are the maple pecan scones, though they may be a bit sweet for your taste) as well as a bevy of bread recipes for those of us who can't get a daily fix at the store itself. If you haven't been to the Cheese Board before, you must go when you're in the Bay Area!

[Zarah Maria]

Hear hear on the no substituting part - I can't do it either, and I always feel as something's wrong if I had to add more of an ingredient, or accidently add too much of one. We'll learn some day, don't you think? If not, I guess it could be called a virtue in itself to be able to follow orders!;-)

[Luisa]

Zarah Maria - I like your take on our exacting ways: they're virtuous!

Jen - a visit to the bakery is on my list of things to do when I'm in the Bay Area, hoping it will be this year! I've heard great things about the cookbook, too.

Lindy - I did know that. And I forgot. So thank you for reminding me! I'll blame the lapse in memory on my exercise resolution: wasting all this time at the gym is killing important gray cells! :)

Tania - I know that sinking feeling of overpaying because of disorganization! Frustrating to say the least.

efb - They were tasty! I had one for a snack last night, too. I'm glad I'm not alone in my pedantry. ;)

Robin - what a useful tip - thank you!

Melissa - that herb bread sounds delicious - perhaps there's a recipe for it in the cookbook? I get a lot done in the mornings so I can sink into my couch at night. ;)

[Jessica "Su Good Eats"]

I always make buttermilk by putting 1 tbsp vinegar in a cup and adding enough regular milk to fill it up.

[From Our Kitchen]

Some days it just seems like the baking gods are against you. But I guess not since those scones came out looking so delicious! I just made a pound cake that called for buttermilk, which I didn't have. Instead, I just added about a teaspoon of distilled white vinegar to milk, to give it a sour taste. The pound cakes still came out great!

[Leland]

I can't believe you are able to tackle things like this in the morning! I'm impressed, wednesdaychef. I felt pretty good about making coffee and eating my bagel. Until now.

[Pauline]

Hi. I've made these scones using your recipe twice and am getting set to make them again this morning. Absolutely terrific! Thanks.

[DLowe]

I made these with Red Mill Cornmeal, medium grind, very nice flavor but VERY crunchy! Same experience or perhaps a different cornmeal, maybe one with a finer grind? I also noticed that other versions of these scones use 1 1/4 cups buttermilk...the dough was already slightly sticky, can imagine that another 1/4 cup buttermilk would make it very wet.

[cushsb]

Great recipe! And it's just great how you persevered. Just like what "From out kitchen" commented, sometimes the kitchen gods are just against you.
Can't wait for some more recipes with Kefir.