I really wanted to bake something this morning, but it is so nice out that I couldn't bring myself to devote a lot of time to it. I hadn't made scones in a long time and they seemed to be the perfect midmorning baking event for me.
I ended up throwing together some delicous scones. I am impressed. Here is the recipe:
Sage, Pine Nut, and Pecorino Scones
Preheat oven to 400F
In a large bowl combine 1 3/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Work in 5 tablespoons unsalted butter with your hands until you have a coarse meal.
Then incorporate 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 3 tablespoons grated pecorino, and 1 and a half tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh sage.
In another bowl mix 1/2 cup milk and 1 tablespoon prepared pesto.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk/pesto.
Combine all into a sticky dough, do not over mix. When just coming together knead a few times with lightly floured hands.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the large bowl you are working in to form a smooth circle under an inch thick and cut into 8 equal triangles (as you would cut a pie).
Carefully transfer these pieces to a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper, brush the tops lightly with water, and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Bake for about fifteen minutes or until the tops are turn golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
These turned out so well I can hardly believe it. Of course, you can be creative and add whatever extras you please. I love savory fillings with a sweet dough. Serve warm with butter.
These look terrific! I've made scones before but haven't ever experimented with a flavor combination such as sage, pine nut and pecorino. Usually I opt for something of a sweeter nature. Great idea and I'll be trying these sometime.
Posted by: Linda | April 16, 2005 at 20:37
So pretty Gemma - recipe's bookmarked. And I know that feeling - in fact, I blame that feeling for a lot of my net-browsing time, heh!
Posted by: Zarah Maria | April 17, 2005 at 05:10
Linda, I too usually tend towards the sweater variety, but the few occasions where I have made savory scones I am always pleased. What a versatile little baked good! I followed the link to your site, I'm new at this so it is nice to see more Chicago food blogs!
Zarah, thanks for you sweet comment. I don't know what I would fill a fair amount of my time with if I was unable to look at delicous pictures of food on the internet. How I love Google image search!
Posted by: gemma | April 18, 2005 at 11:06
I just tried this, except with rosemary and ginger.
They turned out really good, but they're not as pretty as yours. In fact they're down right ugly. Won't stop me from eatin' them though.
Posted by: paul | April 23, 2005 at 13:08
Rosemary and ginger sounds like a great combination Paul. Thanks for trying them!
A note to others who might be interested in trying them: I really love a sweet/savory taste (as I note in my post) but upon reflection I might recommend to readers that they cut the sugar in half unless they know they too love this taste combination.
Posted by: gemma | April 25, 2005 at 12:43
Oh Gemma I LOVED these! Used mozarella and parmesan instead of the pecorino, 'cause that's what I had handy - they were so delish, and even kept for 3 days and were still yummy! I always find scones to go dry so fast, but these didn't. Will definetly be a recipe I come back too, again and again!
Posted by: Zarah Maria | May 04, 2005 at 03:41
I'm glad they worked well for you Zarah! Sorry about the sugar, I'm weird!
Posted by: gemma | May 04, 2005 at 10:48
These look so fantastic. My husband adores scones, so this one will go in the box for next time he gets a scone's craving. Nice to hear they were still moist after 3 days! That's a handy feature in a scone.
Posted by: Lyn | June 22, 2005 at 16:18
hiya! i am just cruising through all the entries for DMBLGiT, you know, to scope out the competition and all *wink*
i love when savory things are made into sweet ot vice versa - your scones sound delicious and the picture is beautiful!
Posted by: sarah | June 22, 2005 at 21:20
Let me know how they work out for you Lyn. I was quite pleased with them.
Sarah, I am glad someone else enjoys playing around with traditional savory/sweet tastes! I think it can yield some excellent flavors.
Posted by: gemma | June 23, 2005 at 11:14
I just tried these with yogurt (inst. milk), spelt (inst. flour), and agave (inst. sugar), and they came out great!
Next time I think I'll put more cheese and more sage in... The pesto flavor comes through the most; overall though, these are nice, mild scones. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Thanks for the recipe!
Posted by: Gabriel | April 23, 2009 at 20:48
You are very welcome Gabriel! I'm glad they worked out for you. I love this recipe and I definitely recommend playing around with the amounts of cheese, herbs, etc. to suit your taste.
Posted by: Gemma | May 08, 2009 at 11:11
comlimenti buono con lo yogurt
Posted by: andrea | August 03, 2010 at 09:06