Recipe developers are plagued with drastic circumstances: on top of brain fatigue from thinking about food constantly, they also have to deal with the occasional oh my god why didn’t I think of this before! This is the story of how these fig and parmesan scones came to be.
It all started when I came across this recipe. To understand the depths of this story, you have to understand my love for fig jam. It’s very abundant and very specific, for it’s not just any fig jam, it has to be the right fig jam – but that’s a story for another blog post. This post is about my love for fig jam and corn. I love corn! In all forms, including cornmeal. So when you put fig jam and cornmeal together I can only thing of two things: 1) Genius! and 2) How the heck did I not think of this before?
Since this post has turned into a love letter to random ingredients, I have to also proclaim my devotion to scones. I love scones just as much as I love biscuits and cornbread. It’s salt of the earth food, humble and reliable. And it’s delicious.
King Arthur’s recipe is a little bit more involved and complicated than this one. There’s a lot steps and hours between mixing the dry ingredients and finally holding a warm scone in your hands. This recipe is simpler and the goal here is to have your scones baked and out of the oven within a reasonable timeframe. There’s a little bit of resting and freezing involved, specially if you’re making this in the summer, because it’s imperative we keep that buttery dough nice and chill!
Instead of my beloved cornmeal, I thought of combining two other flavors I love: parmesan and fig. They’re both make regular appearances on every cheeseboard I make and they’re a phenomenal match. Here, instead of served atop a crispy cracker, they’re interlaced inside a scone. These scones are not overly sweet or savory, just a nice balance of both. The parmesan flavor is very mild, so if you want a more pronounced taste, I believe adding another 1/4 cup won’t hurt the recipe – although I haven’t tested it myself.
a few tips
The important thing to remember when making scones is to keep the butter cold, so the first thing you should is to cut the butter into either thin slices or small cubes. Keep them in the fridge while you get all your other ingredients ready. The dough is mostly a matter of mixing dry and wet ingredients, and as soon as you add the cold butter, you have to work quickly with your fingertips just until the dough comes together. Mixing the flour with liquids is what develops gluten and we want very little gluten development here because we want a light, tender dough.
For flaky scones, it’s important to cut the dough into fours, stack those layers up, press them down and then do it all over again. Twice is enough.
When it’s time to add the fig jam, try to keep it a thin layer. That’ll make cutting and baking the scones easier and mess free. I like finishing my scones with a brushing of heavy cream for a golden crust. I hate ending up with an egg wash in the fridge that I won’t be using anytime soon, and the cream works just as great.
If you make these fig and parmesan scones, let me know in the comments!
Fig and Parmesan Scones
about 8
scones30
minutes45
minutes25
minutesIngredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan (plus more for finishing)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled (plus more for brushing)
1 egg
3/4 cup fig jam
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, parmesan, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add the chilled butter cubes to the bowl. Using your fingers, toss to coat them with flour, pinching each cube flat. Rub the flattened pieces with your fingers until the mix resembles fine crumbs.
In a measuring cup, whisk the cream and eggs until combined.
Pour the heavy cream mixture into the flour/butter mixture. Use your hands to gently mix just until combined - a little bit of flour will remain at the bottom of the bowl. Dump the dough and remaining flour onto a lightly floured working surface.
Pat the dough into a rough rectangle, about 1" tall - add all crumbles to the center.
Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into four equal parts and stack each piece on top of the other. Pat down until dough is back to a 1" tall rectangle. Repeat the process one more time.
Pressed down the stack layers until it's a rectangle of about 1/2" thick. Transfer to a the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes (minimum or overnight).
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into four equal rectangles. On a floured surface, roll out each rectangle until about 1/4" thick. Stack the rectangles on a baking sheet and return to the fridge to firm up (10 to 15 minutes).
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Starting with one piece, dollop about 2 tbsp over the entire surface of each rectangle, spreading it evenly from edge to edge. You want this layer to be thin.
Stack and press a second rectangle onto the first jam layer. Repeat this layering process until all four pieces of dough are stacked with jam between each layer. Avoid pressing down on the layers when stacking them, so the jam layers remain intact.
Return to the fridge for another five minutes to firm up.
With a sharp knife, cut the dough in half the long way, and then cut each strip into about 2.5" x 2.5" squares.
Arrange scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 3" of space between them. Place in the freezer for another 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Remove scones from the freezer and brush with heavy cream, then sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Bake for 10 minutes, the lower the oven temperature to 350F. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the scones are golden.
Let the scones cool on baking sheet so the layers will set. Serve.
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