Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Lemon Blueberry Scones

Warm from the oven, these scones are tender and flaky.  One bite and a blueberry bursts into your mouth and you taste pure sunshine from the lemons.  

Now that's a scone!

Saturday mornings have become my baking time.  That's when I get up early enough to turn on the oven during the summer months and bake a few things so we have goodies to snack on during the week.

I'm really loving the berries this year so I find myself baking with them a lot, that is unless MGG eats them all first!  Today I'm bring you my 6th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series.  Which are recipes filled with fresh summer produce that are easy, light, and oh soooo tasty!  

I'm highlighting lemons and blueberries today.  Both of which scream summer to me, how about you?  I love everything about lemons and blueberries but when you combine them together...well it's a match made in heaven.

So let's take my Basic Scone Recipe and make a variation by adding in some lemon zest for mucho lemon flavor, and some tart blueberries. Oh these babies bake up so beautifully and they are just waiting for you to pop one in your mouth.

This makes a large batch of scones, so freeze some if you like and save for another day. They will keep 2-3 days on the counter, but if the weather is really hot you might want to refrigerate them. Just allow them to come to room temperature or pop them in the microwave to warm them slightly.


Enjoy!

Kitchen Tips:  

1. Use parchment paper which gives the bottoms a nice brown crust.  
2. Sprinkle sanding or sparkling sugar on the tops for an extra crunch and sweet bite.  
3. Fold the blueberries in gently so they don't mash up and bleed in your scones. 
4. Fresh blueberries are best to avoid the dough from turning blue.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Lemon Blueberry Scones 

Yield: 12 scones

3 cups all purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp lemon zest

3/4 cup butter (cold)

1 egg

1 cup whole milk

2 cups blueberries
Sparkling sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and combine.

Using a pastry cutter cut cold butter into flour mixture until there are pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.  Add the milk and egg and mix just until a dough just starts to form.  Fold in the blueberries until well combined.

Remove the dough to a generously floured work surface and pat the dough just until it comes together. Pat the dough out to 3/4 - 1 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter.  

Place the scones on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for several minutes.  Serve warm.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Broccolini

A show stopping entree for summer dining.  Pork tenderloins are brushed with a honey ginger glaze and served with grilled  apricots, and broccolini topped with toasted almonds.

There nothing better than cooking and eating alfresco in the heat of the summer.  Summer is always a welcome time for me.  It brings with it all the fresh fruits and vegetables that I just can't get enough of and wish would last all year.  Today we are going to celebrate the long summer evenings with a grilled feast!  

This is my 5th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series which are recipes filled with fresh summer produce that are easy, light, and oh soooo tasty!  Were' highlighting apricots, broccolini, and scallions today.

This recipe has become one of my new favorites.  Juicy pork tenderloin is spiced just right and then glazed with a ginger honey scallion sauce and served with grilled apricots and broccolini with toasted almonds.  This really is one heck of a summer treat!

This is what I call a grilled Asian fusion dinner.  The flavors all work together wonderfully and create a memorable meal.  The glaze/sauce is the pop of flavor that takes this dish over the top, so don't skip that part. It's key!  Another plus is that you can cook everything on the grill.  Don't have a grill?, not to worry an indoor grill pan will work in a pinch.  

Oh, and don't be counting on any leftovers....this will be gone in a flash...it's that good.

Enjoy!

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Broccolini

serves 4

1 1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lbs.), silver skinned removed

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

3/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

salt & pepper, to taste

olive oil

1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed

4 apricots, halved and pitted

8 scallions, tops trimmed only

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat your grill or grill pan to high.  In a small bowl add coriander, salt, and pepper.  To another medium bowl add the ginger, honey and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper and stir until combined.  Set aside.

Pat the pork tenderloin dry and season all over with the spice rub.  Reduce grill heat to medium and lightly oil the grates.  Add pork to the grill and cook covered about 8-12 minutes turning occasionally.  Transfer to a cutting board and brush with some of the glaze.  

While the pork cooks drizzle some olive oil over the broccolini, apricots, and scallions, tossing to coat.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add the vegetables to the other side of the grill (we used a grill tray) and cook until tender and charred in spots, turning occasionally.  Broccolini will cook 7-10 minutes, apricots about 6-7 minutes, and scallions 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board.  

In a small skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the almonds and cook until they are lightly toasted, stirring frequently so they don't burn, about 2-3 minutes.  

Finely chop the grilled scallions and add them to the bowl with the remaining glaze. Whisk in an additional 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.  Thinly slice the pork.  Serve pork with the grilled apricots drizzled with the scallion honey glaze.  Add broccolini and garnish with toasted almonds.

source:  Marley Spoon

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby

A tender, eggy, over-sized pancake laced with bright lemon and topped with tart fresh raspberries.  As wonderful to eat as it is spectacular to look at, no one has to know how easy this is to make!

It's starting to get hot outside but I'm still in baking mode.  So the only time of day I can tolerate my oven being on is early in the morning.  Which brings us to my 4th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series.  Great recipes using summer produce that fresh and light.  Let's talk breakfast!

Last week was the long 4th of July weekend.  I hope you had an enjoyable time.  Although not our typical holiday we spent the day in the pool and then we tried to grill, however we ran out of gas about 5 minutes into making dinner.  Don't you hate when the happens!  We switched gear and grilled "inside" and enjoyed our dinner alfresco.

Now Sunday is our day to have a leisurely breakfast.  With the weather warming up, we typically eat most of our meals outdoors.  Something simple but scrumptious is in order.  We're having:

LEMON RASPBERRY DUTCH BABY

Part popover, part crepe, part pancake, this dish combines the best aspects of all three. I like to serve it on lazy Sunday mornings, garnished with fresh berries.  This makes a brunch worthy presentation and is just enough for 2, but certainly can be doubled to serve more.

What do I need to make this?
 - 8" inch cast iron skillet.  This is the perfect size for 2 people and can be used for so many things like skillet cookies, side dishes, fruit crisps, and cooking burgers, steaks and chicken. You can purchase one here.  The size of your pan is crucial when making a Dutch Baby, if you use one too small it will overflow (messy!) or one too big you will have a flat pancake (ugh!) that doesn't get tender and puffy. 

Key Notes:  You want to start off cooking the pancake in a skillet that is screaming hot.  So put it in the oven when you turn it on to preheat the oven.  Place some butter in there as well so it melts.  You want to pour your batter into a very hot skillet, and put it back in the oven to cook.  Once it comes out of the oven you will see tall puffy mounds that are golden brown with darker edges.  Don't be alarmed if the pancake deflates as it cools, this is normal.

Dutch babies are soooo easy to make you will wonder why you don't do this all the time.  To finish is off you will sprinkle on some lemon juice and sprinkle with some confectioner's sugar and top with berries.  

 

Try eating outside like we did and enjoy your breakfast/brunch alfresco and savor the morning!

Enjoy!









Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby

serves:  2

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup  All-Purpose Flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

1/2 lemon, squeezed

powdered sugar
1/3 fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Using an 8" cast iron skillet add one tablespoon of butter and place it in the oven as it preheats, to heat the pan and melt the butter.

To a medium bowl add the flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest.  In a small bowl whisk together the milk, vanilla, and eggs. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and whisk until smooth; a almost smooth.  Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir it into the batter.

Remove the skillet from the oven and place on the stove.  Pour the batter into the pan. Place the skillet back in to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and puffed with some deeper brown patches.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Garnish with berries and serve immediately.