Apples like tea parties have been part of our country’s earlier history. It’s the apple's natural sweetness that draws us to them. Add some walnuts to this mixture and you a have delicious tasting scone that can’t be beat.
As one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees, apples have become a staple in our meals and snacks. Who doesn’t remember pork chops and applesauce for dinner or apples in our lunches, growing up as kids and what about the all American homemade apple pie?
Here’s a recipe that is easy to make and adds another apple dish to your collection of recipes.
Nutrition
Apples, it's no secret that apples contribute to our health with their nutritional benefits. We all remember the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’. These crisp fruits have health values that are known to help in lowering heart disease and they also help in weight control.
Walnuts – The Chinese believed that walnuts helped to strengthen the back and knees. It was also believe to aid in the healing of asthma. Walnuts are a source of omega 3 fat which helps our artery functions and some believe that these nutty morsels may beat out health promotions in comparison to olive oil.
Tea Party Etiquette
There’s a long tradition of tea time from early evolution throughout the world. Tea time was meant to give you a break; make you stop for a moment and take a deep breath. Who couldn't use a break in today's world of technology and speed? Teas take you back to a simplier time and it’s here that all of the colloquialisms come forth, such as ‘stopping to smell the roses’ and my favorite ‘behind every strong man there’s a great woman’.
Growing up I had my own tea set and enjoyed imagining the ritual of high tea being served. Today, I enjoy my teas in oriental tea cups, flowered tea mugs and when I have the opportunity, I love having my tea in a china cup and saucer set.
Tea Scones
To complete the affair you need to have scones and or bite sized crustless sandwiches. These culinary food items add to the enchantment of tea time and your guests will be captivated with your efforts. These scones can be made ahead of time and taste just as wonderful in the morning with your coffee as leftovers.
Scones are usually round in shape, but if you’re in the mood to try out a different shaped cutter, that’s ok too. Making scones can be a wonderful family experience and a terrific opportunity for the beginning baker, who is learning to work with basic recipes. You can find your favorite cutters in the shape of triangles, circles or squares for a couple of dollars at the local store.
Start your own tradition and create a family prized recipe that you will remember for years. Here’s one on mine:
Apple & Walnut Scones:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 5 tsp. Baking powder
- 1 tbsp. Sugar
- ½ Stick of unsalted butte
- 1 Apple – cored, I like a little bit of texture in my scones, soi do a small dice with the apple
- ½ cup Walnuts – chopped
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup milk
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 450.
Combine all of the dry ingredients, cut in the butter until you have what looks like breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to mix these ingredients, but when you’re just learning to bake, I like the old fashion method.
Add the apple and walnuts to the flour mixture and mix together. Now pour the mixture onto a floured countertop. Mix the milk and egg and make a well in the center of the flour mixture and use a fork to slowly incorporate the liquid until you have soft dough. If you need more liquid add it slowly to get your dough formed.
Next, knead the dough and sprinkle it with some flour and roll it out from the center of the dough. Try to keep your dough about 1 inch in thickness. Dip your cutter into some flour and start cutting your scones and place them on a greased baking sheet.
You've got choices of toppings for this scone. You can sprinkle sugar on the top as they come out of the oven. Or you can sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake them for 10 minutes until golden brown. Or the traditional baker's topping; a brush of the milk and egg mixture or some melted butter for a beautiful golden finish.
Serve:You can plate these whole and have some sweet butter available or you can slice and serve them with your favorite jams and curds. In the morning I like to slice and toast them.
Enjoy!