With the UK in my veins and a stint at The Westin Hotel in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, under my belt, I am well versed in tea service. As the Chef de Partie, I quite enjoyed serving small cups of frothed lobster bisque, assembling a variety of small finger sandwiches, warm scones and crumpets with clotted cream, honey and jam, and my favourites an assortment of bite sized sweets.
If you are going to have a little fun with friends and invite them over for tea, make sure you don’t get your Tea times mixed up! Afternoon Tea originated as a social event for the upper class. It was served between 3 and 5 pm as an afternoon snack to keep everyone full between lunch and a late supper. High Tea on the other hand, although it sounds more like an elite social event, is a full meal served between 6 and 7pm, where along with tea, meats, fish, poultry cheeses and breads are also served.
I think scones are a vital part to any great tea party. With their light texture and rich flavour they are the perfect base for some butter and jam. Fortunately, they are simple enough for you to make them from scratch and trust me you should try it! Nothing feels as good or as soothing as baking something by hand. This scone dough is easy to handle, just don’t over work it too much during kneading and rolling.
Cream Scones
Makes 2 dozen
Prep time: 40 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
3 1/3 cups Compliments All Purpose Flour [1]
2 oz (60 g) (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
4 oz (120 g) (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold
2 large egg yolks
10 fl oz (330 mL) half and half cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) melted butter
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, cut or rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks crumbly.
- Mix together the egg yolks and cream and add to the dry ingredients until a rough dough comes together. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough 10-12 times, about 20-25 seconds max!
- Roll the dough out to ½ inch (1.2 cm) thick and cut as desired. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 400°F (200°C) for 13-15 minutes. After baking while the scones are still hot, brush the tops with melted butter, let cool slightly and serve.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving:
Energy: 140 (kcal)
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 25 mg
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Fibre: 0 g
Sodium: 190 mg
Potassium: 44 mg
Here’s a quick tip for you. My scone recipe makes some delicious, yet plain scones. For even more taste, try flavouring your scones buy adding ½ cup (125 mL) of raisins or dried fruits, chocolate chips or aged cheddar cheese to the recipe during kneading. You could even divide the dough in half and make two different flavours!
Happy Cooking!
Chef Ryan Skelton