Teatime beckons with blood orange curd served alongside Gingerbread Almond Scones. This classic fare takes a Yuletide twist and is kissed with shavings of sweet almond.
Gingerbread Almond Scones
Makes 8 scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ÂĽ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ÂĽ teaspoon ground cloves
- â…› teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1ÂĽ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
- Blood Orange Curd (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, clove, and allspice. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Add cold heavy cream and molasses, stirring with a fork just until mixture starts to come together.
- On a lightly floured surface, gently knead until dough comes together. Press into a 7-inch circle. Using a bench scraper, cut dough into 8 wedges. Place on prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with almonds.
- Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside Blood Orange Curd.
Blood Orange Curd
Makes approximately 2½ cups
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons blood orange zest
- 1 cup fresh blood orange juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
Instructions
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolks until well combined; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, blood orange zest and juice, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to steam. (Do not boil.) Pour sugar mixture into egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly in a figure eight motion with a silicone spatula, until curd is thickened and can coat the back of a spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 175° to 180°, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Press curd through prepared sieve into bowl, discarding solids. Stir in butter, 1 to 2 cubes at a time, letting each cube melt before adding the next. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled and set, at least 2 hours.
Â
