I am a sucker for a good scone. Disclosing guilty pleasures, whenever I pass through London whether on business or leisure my mission is simple, find and devour the quintessential scone and if clotted cream is on hand I cash in on the jackpot. I am not prejudice, any variation will satisfy my sweet tooth, but it has to be homemade. I have been to a bakery near Covent Garden, and I won’t name names here but to my astonishment the teller behind the counter brought out a bulk box of scones for their display case. Sad to say I abruptly turned to leave without a second thought. I guess I am a scone snob, and I am okay with this fact.

Carrot Cake Scones

1 ¾ cup Spelt Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Sea Salt

1 ½ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Dried Ginger

¼ tsp Nutmeg

¼ tsp Clove

¼ cup Honey

6 Tbsp Cold Butter

½ cup Grated Carrot

3-6 Tbsp Milk

Cinnamon & sugar for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 180˚C or 360˚F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks cut in small chunks or cubes of butter and oney at the same time, add carrots. The texture of the dough will be flaky. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until a firm dough is made. Be careful not to add too much milk as the scone will turn out more muffin like based on the density of the batter.

Create a ball of dough and transfer to parchment paper covered sheet pan. Using your hands press the dough into a circle. Using a pastry knife cut the circle into 6 triangles. Separate the scones and pat the carrots into the dough so they do not burn while baking. Brush the tops of the scones with milk. Sprinkle the scones with a light dusting of cinnamon & sugar.

Bake for 9-11 minutes until the scones are golden brown and firm to the touch.

Mascarpone Frosting

½ cup Mascarpone

1 tsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp Honey

1/8 tsp Ground Cardamom

Pinch Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS

In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients until smooth. Using a pastry piping bag or pastry knife frost the cooled scones with as little or as much frosting as you desire.
Apple Fig Compote

3 Royal Gala Apples, peeled and diced

½ cup Apple Juice

3 Fresh Figs, quartered

½ tsp Fresh Ginger

½ tsp Apple Cider Vinaigrette

¼ tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Ground Cardamom

DIRECTIONS
In a small sauce pan over medium high heat combine all the ingredients. Bring to a full simmer for 20-25 minutes until most of the liquid has been evaporated or soaked into the fruit. Turn off the heat and using an immersion blender puree the compote until desired consistency. Enjoy warm or allow to cool and store.