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On Thursday, I tried a new recipe: Chocolate Chip-Toffee Scones, a recipe from the Fresh Cream Cafe in Ann Arbor, MI, which appeared in the RSVP recipe request section of Bon Appetit (September 1997). It is unusual in that it does not use butter but calls for whipping cream until stiff peaks form. I used heavy cream (and may have slightly overwhipped it). The only ingredient change I made was to substitute in 1 cup of barley flour. For the other 2 1/4 cups of flour, I used Gold Medal. Also, it called for 1/2 cup chocolate-covered English toffee bits. I used Heath toffee bits, which are not covered with chocolate, but since the recipe also uses 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, I felt that was not an issue. The recipe called for making a 12-inch circle and cutting into twelve triangles that are baked separately. I found it more prudent to make two 6-inch circles and cut each into six. I baked them an extra three minutes, since I use very heavy baking sheets. The scones have a very light texture when warm. (I had one with coffee.) My first impression is that the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli) overpowers the rest of the ingredients. I might consider using only half a cup. I like warm scones, but I also like ones that are good at room temperature, since I usually bake for only two people. I will report on how these are tomorrow.
Addendum: The scones are delicious at room temperature. When I mentioned to my husband that the chocolate chips seemed to overwhelm them, he said, "Well, yes," which means he does not see it as a problem. Given how unusual this recipe is, I'm going to post it with my changes.
Mike--The brand is Dean's Country Fresh Dairy Pure. The other brand was one I'd not heard of before. All numbers on the side were the same--except I will check next time I'm at the local store to see if its servings per container is similarly incorrect. I wrote to Dean's, but have not heard back yet.
Thanks, Aaron for posting the link.
I might check out the dairy items at Kroger next time I'm in the larger neighboring town. There is also an Aldi's there, which did not impress me a couple of years ago, but I'll check it out again, as they are expanding, and friends here rave about them. I have to say that the bread from Aldi's that our friends served last night was actually good--a white bread with a crisp crust and the kinds of holes about which home bakers dream.
On another dairy note: I did not buy buttermilk at Walmart last week because it only had one brand, and the carton said either lowfat or reduced fat buttermilk. As buttermilk is supposed to be lowfat anyway, I did not trust it. In that case, I bought the Dean's buttermilk at the store in my town.
Here is what the nutrition label says:
Serving size: 1 Tbsp
Servings per container: 22I already see a problem, since it is a pint, which should be 2 cups, and there are 16 Tbs. in a cup.
Calories: 50
Calories from Fat: 50
Total Fat: 8%
Saturated Fat 3.5 g: 17% (percentages are % Daily Value)
Trans Fat: 0%Cholesterol: 20 mg 7%
Sodium 5 mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate: 1 g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0%
Protein 0 gVitanin A 4%
Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Iron 0%Yes--completely unhelpful.
When people can drive to Walmart, small town grocery stores close. There were once three grocery stores here, according to my husband, and there were two in the 1950s. There are two gas stations still going strong (both also convenience stores, and one has a Subway), probably because of the summer people and the private high school, with mostly boarding students, on the edge of town. I am grateful that an Ace Hardware opened after the independent one closed when the elderly owner retired, and no one wanted to buy the business. There is a CVS. A handful of restaurants, a seasonal Root Beer stand (food not as good as it once was), an excellent independent coffee shop, an ice cream shop, and a Dollar store, and two independent clothing/other stuff stores, and two "shabby chic"/antique places.
We were in Champaign-Urbana last weekend, so I stocked up on our favorite German honey at T.J. Maxx, as well as imported orange marmalade and my favorite German pickles at Tuesday Morning.
I only had the choice of two brands (ah, welcome to life in a small town with one grocery store), and neither stated butterfat amounts. The other numbers were the same. It says 5 grams of fat per Tablespoon or 5% of daily fat allowance. I bought Deans--which has the "dairy pure" on its label, which means they don't use hormones, and thus have to include an asterisk that there are no studies linking hormones given to cows with any health issues. I might look at the Dean's website.
https://www.dairypure.com/products/creamers/heavy-whipping
Hmm. It seems that they sell heavy cream and heavy whipping cream, and I bought the latter after seeing "heavy." That will teach me to read the entire label. However, the fat content was identical to the other brand available, as were the numbers.
I decided to submit a question. I'll report back on the answer I receive.
Hi, Skeptic 7. Your recipe looks good. I'm in a lunch rut, so I've marked it as one that I want to try.
Some ideas for the filling: try substituting chopped broccoli. Perhaps try another kind of cheese? Maybe try adding some ground turkey or some ground beef, or maybe in some pieces of ham. I love red bell pepper, so a little of that would add some additional flavor, as would mushrooms. I've also seen pizzas that use black beans as topping.
You could also explore adding some spices. When I make omelets, I often use the Penzey's Forward seasoning (no salt). I've also used their southwest seasoning. It depends on what flavors you enjoy.
If you worry that the filling might be too liquidy, you could par-bake the crust at a higher temperature for about 5-10 minutes, then add the topping.
Let us know what variations you try, and when I get around to trying your recipe, I'll post my results.
