The Debut

About a month ago, I shared with you all about The Edible Word.

Well here we are at my first review and recipe for this food/book club.

The book was Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs.

It was a pleasant and easy read about a food tv star named Gus (Augusta) Simpson who is having a bit of a mid-life crisis at 50. With two grown daughters that she is attempting to micro-manage and a career that seems to be out of date, she is at her wit's end.

She works through the issues with reflections to the past and little parables about taking what life gives you and making souffle with it. And sometimes life gives you salt.

There were funny parts, sad parts, and parts that made you reflect on your own self and whatever place you are in life.

Of course all through the book you are trying to figure out if this character was modeled after a real food tv star like Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, or ??

Part of the challenge of The Edible Word was to then take a dish in the book, find or create a recipe for it, and make it.

There were many great dishes to replicate, but we are a scone loving family so it wasn't hard to choose Orange-Apricot Scones with Orange Glaze.

Finding and slightly modifying a recipe wasn't difficult, but I did make it my own in a subtle way by adding crystallized ginger with the apricots. It adds a slight warmness to the sweetness.



Orange-Apricot Scones with Orange Glaze


Topping:

1/4 cup sugar - preferably coarse sugar - I use the sprinkles you buy for cookies and cupcakes
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel


Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots, really the smaller the better here so you don't have large chewy pieces
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
3/4 cup half & half
1 egg
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel

Glaze:

Zest of 1 orange
juice of 1/2 orange
1 c. +/- powdered sugar


Heat oven to 375°F. Combine topping ingredients in small bowl and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and apricots.

Stir together half & half, egg and 1 tablespoon orange peel in small bowl until smooth.

Stir into flour mixture just until moistened.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 8 to 10 times until smooth, adding small amount of flour, if necessary. Be careful not to dry it out.

If you have a scone pan, separate dough evenly in pan. If not, divide dough in half.

Pat each half into 7-inch circle. Place 2 inches apart onto large ungreased baking sheet.

Sprinkle topping evenly over dough. Score each half into 8 wedges; do not separate.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until scones are lightly browned.

Cool 15 to 20 minutes on baking sheet.

While cooling, prepare glaze. You may need to adjust sugar quantity to make a perfect consistency.

Drizzle the scones with the glaze.

Eat and enjoy!

Best when warm, but will store well in air tight container.