Cranberry Scones with Lemon Curd

While lemon recipes are notoriously popular in the spring, lemon-anything is right up my alley. I try to work the flavor into recipes that are more seasonal and ..ahem.. currant. (Har har..)

I had some fresh cranberries that needed to be used up, and some leftover lemon curd – which probably would have otherwise been eaten straight from the fridge by the spoonful. Instead, I tried a recipe for Cranberry Scones. They were really easy, and delicious! The perfect mix of tart cranberries, savory almonds, and sweet lemon curd.

 

I’m not certain if there’s a recommended serving size, but I just loaded it up by the spoonfull(s). I’ll definitely be making these again!

 

Cranberry Scones Recipe

From JoyofBaking.com

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powde

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (76 grams) cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup (50 grams) dried or fresh cranberries (cut fresh cranberries in half)

1/3 cup (50 grams) mixed candied fruit and peel

2/3 – 3/4 cup (160 – 180 ml) milk

1/4 cup (25 grams) sliced almonds

Powdered (Confectioners or Icing) Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Butter or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Gently stir in the cranberries and mixed fruit, making sure not to crush the berries. Add the milk and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 1 1/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle into 8 triangular sections. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and then brush the top of the scones with milk or cream. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.   

Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.   If desired, serve with Devon cream and/or your favorite jam.

Makes 8 scones.

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This is my go-to lemon curd recipe. It’s so easy and always turns out really delicious. The entire recipe can be made from start to finish in about 15 minutes. Try this once, and I guarantee you won’t want to ever buy pre-made lemon curd again. (Nor should you!)

Lemon Curd

Gourmet  | January 2001

yield: Makes about 1 1/3 cups

active time: 20 min

total time: 1 1/4 hr

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut up

Preparation

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.

Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour. (Can keep chilled in the refrigerator 1 week.)

 

If you find yourself with some extra lemon curd left over and want to know what else to do with it, I also have a recipe for lemon curd stuffed vanilla cupcakes, with coconut topped frosting. Check it out! https://victoriaallison.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/lemon-curd-stuffed-cupcakes-with-vanilla-frosting-and-coconut/