I recently woke up at 3am from my first-ever root canal which had gone bad. I couldn't sleep, so I thought why not bake? I made one of Marcelo's favorites - lemon-cranberry scones. Even though I couldn't chew very well, the cake-like texture, along with the lemon fondant, melted in my mouth.

Scone Ingredients: 140 ml whole milk 2 large eggs (100 ml) 1 tsp lemon zest 120 g unsalted butter 100 g sugar 320 g cake flour 80 g bread flour 10 g baking powder 3 g sea salt 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 large egg (for egg wash)

To make the scones, first preheat your oven to 340º degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the milk, eggs and lemon zest together and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Sift the dry ingredients together and fold them into the mixture. The texture should be crumbly, so don't over mix.

Lightly fold in the milk mixture just until combined; then add the cranberries. Dust the counter top with flour. Gently divide the dough and shape into two rounds, so they are about 1 inch high. Cut into triangles and transfer to a baking sheet. Brush lightly with egg wash and bake until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Lemon Fondant 3/4 cup fondant 1 tsp. egg white zest of 1/2 a lemon 1-2 tsp. lemon juice

While the scones are baking, place the fondant in a bain marie. Heat over low heat and add the lemon zest, lemon juice and egg white. Stir to combine and bring the mixture just above body temperature.

Once the scones are done, place them onto a cooling rack and let cool slightly. Drizzle with the lemon fondant and enjoy.

Makes about 12.  

It's important not to over work the dough. Be gentle with it and work quickly. Avoid over-baking - bake just until they are light golden brown underneath.

Tagged as: [ pastry recipes scones ]

Fondant is that sweet, shiny glaze which appears on many pastries and baked goods. Its creamy texture melts in your mouth and it also helps to keep baked goods moist. It's fairly easy to make and will store indefinitely at room temperature in a sealed container. You can also pour a thin layer of water on the surface to prevent it from drying out and forming a crust.

To make approximately 1.5 cups of fondant, you will need the following ingredients:

500 grams granulated sugar
250 ml water
50 grams glucose

To begin, use a very clean pot and bring the water and sugar to a boil until it reaches 113º C (235º F). Skim off any foam/impurities that may rise to the surface. This should take at least 10-15 minutes. Once the sugar reaches that temperature, add the glucose and continue to boil until the temperature reaches118º C (244º F). Immediately take the pot off of the heat and place into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Carefully pour the hot syrup onto a marble or granite counter top. Using a bench scraper, move the sugar around to bring down the temperature. 

As you continue to agitate it, it will go from a clear syrup to a milky-white consistency.

As you work the sugar, it will eventually become crumbly.

When you have reached this stage, begin to knead the sugar, as you would dough, until it is nice and smooth. You don't have to knead it this far, but you can see that it becomes soft again.

Once you're done, transfer the mixture to a container. The fondant can be stored indefinitely and can be used a bit at a time.

To use fondant:

To use the fondant, you'll need to warm it slightly. Place the amount you're going to use into a bain marie over low heat. Bring the temperature up until it's just above body temperature. Whisk in 1-2 teaspoons of egg white and a few drops of lemon juice.

For flavoring, I added a bit of lemon zest to match the flavors for my baked goods, but you can use any flavoring or extract, and even add food coloring. It's also nice to keep it plain.

Tagged as: [ fondant howto icing pastry recipes sugar ]