Bronte update and other random things
Aug. 18th, 2006 09:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Okay, so Bronte had another followup today.
The appointment was at 8:20 in the morning, and not 8:40 (which was what I'd originally thought, until the vet's office called to confirm yesterday), so that meant hauling ass out the door with both Bronte and Darwin in tow, driving the 20 minutes to doggy daycare, and then turning around and driving what should have been 15 minutes to the vet clinic.
Vet clinic? Located across the street from the high school. My old high school, incidentally. Also incidentally, and I don't know how widespread this is (whether it's a countywide thing, a statewide thing, or what), but high school apparently starts a little later than it used to in my day. Because at 8:15, there was a crunch of cars and school-buses and kids walking to school and I shit you not, there was a point where I was like, "Hmmm... I could just drive across the median and get there quicker." (Because to get to the clinic, I have to make a U-turn at a traffic light, rather than turn right in.)
Now, a lot of people know that Bronte's got a little problem with carsickness. Foolishly, I'd thought this little problem had sorted itself out with age (she's 2 years old). However, I'm thinking Miz Bronte was not keen on the "stop and go and forever slow" traffic jam in front of the high school, because AS SOON AS I MADE THE U-TURN, she started gagging and getting all carsick in her carrier.
*facepalm*
So we go into the vet's office, and one of the receptionists offered to rinse out the carrier for me, which was really sweet. Meanwhile, I'm holding Bronte, and taking her to the window and generally talking sweet to her, when the clinic is fucking inundated by dogs.
*facepalm again*
Right about the time Bronte is thisclose to making my forearm bear a striking resemblence to something julienned, the tech brings us back to the exam room.
Long story made very short: she's down a few ounces in weight, but her RBC is back up to 20% from 18%. She's got another followup in two weeks. But, the big black puddin' is showing some improvement! Yay!
I used to have, I kid you not, the best scone recipe in the history of the world. I do not know what happened to it, but nothing I've found even begins to compare to it, including and here's a shocker, the recipe for "Lily's Scones" in How to be a Domestic Goddess, by Nigella Lawson. I made those yesterday, and have been a little disappointed in them. The texture's good -- I'm just used to scones having a teensy bit of sweetness to them. Nothing overwhelming, just a hint. This recipe had no sugar, which struck me as a little odd (however, I'm out of clotted cream and lemon curd, and it's possible with those two things on them, that'd be perfect -- maybe there's a trip to the UK import store in my future...).
So I'm asking: does anyone have a nice scone recipe? I don't need "double chocolate scones" or "orange cinnamon scones" or "super-fantastic raspberry twist scones." I just want a nice, basic scone recipe.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 02:58 pm (UTC)This is going to be long....
Date: 2006-08-18 04:17 pm (UTC)A Basic Scone To Dress Up Or Not As Inclination Indicates
Scones are traditionally partially leavened through the reaction of buttermilk with baking soda, which creates their characteristic flavor and shaggy texture.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on amount of butter used; more butter
less salt)
2 to 8 tablespoons butter (to taste; the more, the richer)
4 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk or yogurt)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 500°F.
In a large mixing bowl, blend the dry ingredients together thoroughly. With a pastry blender, two knives, or, most easily, your fingertips, cut or rub in the butter until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.
Take about 20 seconds to stir in the liquid. The dough will be rough and shaggy but that's the way it should look. Turn it out onto a well-floured board. Flour your hands and the surface of the dough well. Knead it very gently about 10 times, just enough to bring it together. It is not supposed to be smooth and springy like bread dough. Sprinkle on more flour as you need it to keep the dough from sticking.
For small, tea-time scones, cut the dough in half and press or roll each gently with a well floured rolling pin into a circle about 6 inches by 1/2 inch.
You can tidy up the edges with the palms of your hands if you want, but do it gently. Half the charm of scones is their "shagginess."
Cut the circle into 8 wedge-shaped pieces with the edge of a bench or bowl scraper (or spatula), pressing down firmly without sawing. You'll find it easier if you dip your cutter in flour after each cut. Make sure you press it into the dough quickly, without twisting or sawing. This shears the dough cleanly rather than pressing it together, which allows the scones to rise higher.
Using the scraper or spatula as a "shovel," transfer each piece gently to a flour-sprinkled baking sheet (a pizza pan is wonderful for this), leaving a half inch or so between them. Put them in the oven, turn the temperature down to 450°F and bake for about 15 minutes. Yield: about 12 scones.
Nutrition information per serving (1 scone, 55 g): 127 cal, 2 g fat, 4 g protein, 22 g complex carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 6 mg cholesterol, 361 mg sodium, 90 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 121 mg calcium, 90 mg phosphorus.
There's MORE!
Date: 2006-08-18 04:18 pm (UTC)Fruit: A traditional British scone contains an added cup of currants or raisins, either purple or gold. An American counterpart might be 1 cup of blueberries, fresh and wild or dried, cranberries, fresh or dried, chopped apple or peaches. Mix with the dry ingredients after you've rubbed in the butter but before you add the liquid.
Spices: To use alone or to vary the flavor of a fruit scone, you can add up to a tablespoon of spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves or a combination) to the dry ingredients.
Nuts and/or Seeds: A cup of halved or chopped pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, either alone or with fruit, add great flavor and texture. So will sunflower or pumpkin seeds or pine nuts or pistachios. Add these as you would the fruit.
Lemon or Orange Zest: Add a teaspoon of grated lemon or orange peel to your dry ingredients. This can be done alone or to enhance a fruit scone. If you want the flavor of lemon or orange but not the grated knuckles, use our Baker's Catalogue orange oil or lemon oil.
Cheese: A cup of grated cheese, such as Cheddar or Parmesan, can be added to the dry ingredients after you rub in the butter. A teaspoon of dry mustard blended with the dry ingredients, or a prepared mustard beaten into the liquid, adds to and intensifies the flavor. Try this with chopped chives or even chopped apple. Use just a teaspoon or so of sugar with this combination.
Herbs: Two teaspoons of dry or a tablespoon of fresh herbs alone or in combination with cheese makes a wonderful variation as well as a great topping for a meat pie. When you make this variety, use just a teaspoon of sugar.
Savory Combinations: Add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped ham, hard sausage, or crumbled bacon to your dry ingredients as you would fruit or nuts. You can even put together a whole meal combination. Try bacon, cheese and chopped apple. Again, just a little sugar will enhance the flavor without adding sweetness.
Chocolate or Other Chips: Perhaps the most unlikely variation that has emerged during the current fascination with scones is the addition of chocolate chips. This will seem a travesty to traditionalists, but if you are tempted by this idea, use 1/2 cup sugar with the dry ingredients, rub in 8 tablespoons of butter, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and include 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 beaten egg as part of your liquid. To take this nonsense even further, substitute 1/3 cup of cocoa for 1/3 cup of flour. (Actually, these scones are very good, especially if you add a cup of pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts as well.)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 05:37 pm (UTC)wahh scones! I love white choco raspberry *_* haven't had those in years! Nope, no recipe here...should look for one though..now I'm craving u.u
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 05:43 pm (UTC)1TBS baking powder
5 cups flour (I use King Arthur)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks), cut into small cubes
2 cups milk
3 cups frozen blueberries dusted with 1 cup flour
Mix all dry ingredients. Add the butter and use your fingers to blend it. Ass the floured berries and mix quickly, but gently. Add milk and mix with a wooden spoon until combined (doesn't have to be smooth). Flour your hands. Gently and quickly shape large spoon-fulls of the batter into scone shapes. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake at 425 degrees (F) for 15-20 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool.
Oh, and FYI, you can actually get clotted cream at Publix now. It should be in the deli (not at the counter) with the nicer cheeses. Thrilled me to no end to find it, since there's no UK import shop around here. Now I just have to get a copy of "How to Be A Domestic Goddess"; I love "Nigella Bites".
no subject
Date: 2006-08-19 12:37 pm (UTC)That said, it's something I've never tried myself, so I have no recommendations. Alas!
You could try the Nigella ones again and add a little sugar. Not too much, probably no more than an ouce, and see what happens.
In other news, catsick blows and sucks. Mel's cat did it the other day whilst we were all eating pizza at a break in the writing meeting, presumably as some form of protest against our attempts to rape the language, or perhaps because we didn't offer him any. The smell... dear God.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-19 01:08 pm (UTC)two cups all-purpose flour
one tablespoon baking powder
one-half teaspoon salt
one-quarter cup of sugar
one cup chopped dried fruit (Figs are best, but I'm the only one who ever says that. Everyone else keeps asking for apricot.)
one and one-quarter cups heavy cream
melted butter and sugar for glaze
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Use an ungreased baking sheet. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Add the dried fruit. Stir in the cream and mix until the dough holds together. It will be quite sticky.
Knead the dough on a floured board and them tamp it into a circle about ten inches in diameter. Spread melted butter across the top and shake liberally with sugar. Then cut the circle into twelve wedges.
Arrange the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for fifteen to twenty-one minutes.