Bloom Day scones

An unexpected tropical visitor; I "stage" the amaryllis bulbs in the garden. They never bloomed outdoors before! More Bloom Day pictures on Folia and Flickr.

Peach cornmeal scones

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup stone ground cornmeal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 large or 2 small peaches, peeled and diced
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup peach syrup

To make peach syrup, put the peach skins plus 1/2 cup sugar in 1 cup of water. Bring to a full boil, boil for 10 minutes. Strain through a food mill. You can use the leftover over pancakes, ice cream, or in sparking water.

Heat oven to 400°.

Mix the liquid ingredients and set aside.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cut butter into pieces and add to the dry ingredients, mixing with a pastry blender until the texture resembles corn meal. Stir in dried cranberries and diced peaches. Mix thorougly, then add the liquids and combine until thoroughly mixed. The dough will be quite wet. Spoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, at least 2 inches apart. Makes 9 large or 12 small scones. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

By the way, when you accidentally turn off the oven, they don't rise very well. What can I say.


Bloom Day bouquet: Cosmos Rose Bon-Bon from Renee's Garden, Black Eyed Susan, Tagetes, and Russian Sage.