Candied Kumquat Scones with Chocolate Drizzle
Things I'm digging on and thinking about right now:
You can make sprinkles at home. THIS IS REAL PEOPLE. I can't wait to make some with natural dyes a la Vegetarian Ventures.
This dancing, baking chick is the sweetest.
Oh HEY there's an insight meditation group in Charlottesville!!!
Whattup gorgeous handmade iphone covers from With Lavender and Lace Vintage?!
I am so excited to be working with the amazing textile artist Nellie Rose Davison my wedding dress. She specializes in silk pleating and natural shibori dying techniques. ALSO SHE'S JUST THE BEST.
Here's a little pastry DIY from Naturally Ella on how tospin sugar at home (hello new cake topper concepts).
Speaking of sugar! These scones. To start, citrus fruit is my favorite. Actually, it seems I fluctuate seasonally when it comes to favorites, so that's not saying much. It's the only fruit I have any desire to eat raw or bake into breakfast right now. I just can't bring myself to use the mounds of frozen strawberries and blueberries icing over in my freezer. But throw a satsuma my way and I'll rip in no questions.
It's really no wonder that almost everything I'm making right now has some sort of citrus in it, then. These kumquat scones, blood orange curd, fancy cakes layered with that blood orange curd, and kumquat manhattans. What other magical citrus sinensis treats will come out this seasonal obsession next? Probably barbecue sauce. Something like that.
Kumquats are perhaps one of the most overlooked winter citrus fruits. I find most people are unsure of what to do with them, and are put-off by their intense sourness. Poor, adorably tiny kumquats. It's so sad that something so cute is left in the dust when surrounded by head-sized pommelos, stem-still-on satsumas, and burnished blood oranges. Personally, I eat them raw, skin and all. I love how the skin tastes of orange blossom and summer honey, breaking into straight lemon and grapefruit with a punchy tangerine finish. But, no denying, paired with honey or sugar they're damn fine -- if not better. For these scones I candied sliced kumquats, which mellows their natural pucker.
CANDIED KUMQUAT SCONES with CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
Author: Renee Shuman (Will Frolic for Food) - Prep time: 20 mins - Cook time: 25 mins - Total time: 45 mins - Serves: 10 servings
A sweet, citrusy scone recipe with candied kumquats and dark chocolate. These scones make for a wonderful, romantic breakfast!
Ingredients
For the candied kumquats:
1 cup kumquats
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
For the chocolate drizzle:
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
For the scones:
300g (2 cups) flour - I used einkorn in these but spelt is fine.
65g (4 tbsp) evaporated cane sugar, plus 1/8 cup more for sprinkling over top
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
45g (3 tablespoons) ghee or coconut oil, cooled until solid & chopped into 1 inch squares + 1 tbsp more melted for brushing
180ml (3/4 cup) full fat coconut milk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
candied kumquats
chocolate ganache, melted
Instructions
For the candied kumquats:
Add sugar and water to a small saucepan and heat on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved.
Add sliced kumquats and cook for 15 minutes.
Liquid will have reduced and the kumquats will take on a slightly translucent quality.
Drain and reserve the kumquat syrup for cocktails, cake, pancakes, you name it!
For the chocolate drizzle:
Melt chocolate and coconut oil together in a double boiler -- stir together until evenly mixed. Set aside.
For the scones:
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together einkorn, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, & salt.
Add solid ghee/coconut oil to the flour mix and rub the mixture between your fingers until incorporated (mixture will start to look sandy).
In a separate dish, mix together coconut milk, vinegar, and vanilla bean.
Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and stir to combine.
Place dough on a parchment lined surface, and knead gently for about 1 minute, adding more flour if the mixture sticks to your hands.
Press out to about 1 inch thick, and cut into heart shapes with a heart cookie cutter (mine is massive so I got about 5 big hearts and one tiny heart out of it -- a smaller cookie cutter will yield more scones of course!).
Roll the edges of the extra dough back together, flatten, and cut more hearts out. I got 5 quite big hearts (and one tiny heart) out of this batch. You could get as many as 10 medium-small heart scones out of it.
Place your cut-out scones on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Reduce oven heat to 325F. Bake 25 minutes, or until golden and dry.
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
Drizzle melted chocolate over top. You can eat them immediately or set in the fridge for 5 minutes to help the chocolate set up and solidify before serving. Either way, have fun with them!
xo
Renee