Fed up with all the Irish themed stuff swirling around you yet? Me neither. For those of you who are, though, this recipe isn't really Irish exactly, but it's pretty close without doing a soda bread-type thing. I'm not a huge fan of soda bread, but maybe all that really means is I haven't had a great one yet.
Sometimes, it is really nice to bake with a friend. Though most of my adventures involving oven and flour are solo expeditions, I occasionally am fortunate enough to have an evening off and the luxury of a friend there with me. After a delicious dinner of pizza and PBR (because really what more do you need on a Tuesday night) we felt the need to call ourselves civilized. Thus began the very simple task of scone making.
I like scones much less in coffee shops. They always taste floury and aseptic. A good scone, a really really good one, should be flaky. Melt in your mouth. Kind of crumbly, even, to the point where you're picking up after yourself and reminding you why you shouldn't eat them in the car on the way to work-you already had one anyway, and now you're getting your pants crumbly. Everyone at work will know of your impatience, plus you'll distract yourself from driving if you keep trying to get every last morsel that you've dropped.
These were not overly sweet which makes them feel more appropriate for breakfast, and they take to freezing really well. If you're a big planner, may I recommend flash-freezing them and cooking on an as-needed basis? They won't keep until next St. Patty's, but they'll keep for your cup of tea over the weekends of the next few months. My tip on that is after the jump, accompanied by some step by step photos! These "process shots," though not the gorgeous images to which you've become accustomed, are going to make my sister so excited.
