Why not add a little Valentines Day flair?

It was as I read a blog post on how to make the perfect gluten free scones on a page of Gluten Free Girl and the Chef last summer that I first began to entertain the notion of starting my own gluten free blog, after just beginning a diet free from wheat and products containing gluten. Perhaps it was the fact that I love scones just a bit too much, and finally realising that I could enjoy them again without the effects of consuming gluten, with the explanation of mixing a perfect blend of flours and a detailed recipe, lead me to think of all those horizons broadening just off the shore. (Waves lapping against the soft stones and making a soothing harmony of sounds, of course.)

Everything just became clearer, and I began a stock pile of recipes to try - have a mentioned the teetering stack of magazine clippings in my bedroom? - Scribbled ideas and replacements to experiment with fill the margins, and the recipes tried are splattered with undetectable ingredients, but at least the pages now smell like home cooking!

It may have also been the fresh reminder of fond memories of that past summer as I sat there with my iPad open to the blog page. I reminisced, there in my kitchen, and longed for the unusually hot English summer we all had enjoyed so immensely, and the basket of fresh scones, tiny pots of clotted cream and jam, and the perfectly sliced cucumber sandwiches for each of us which my family and I sat around in a little garden overlooking the crystal blue waters of the British seaside. English roses swayed from side to side with the winds tickling breath, their red hue dotted along the white fence in pretty contrast.

It was something about those scones, photographed so elegantly and enticingly, that drew me in, and not just with my appetite, but with my imagination. It was as if I thought, okay, I can really do this, as I began the plans in my head.

I admit that I was also nostalgic for the day along that beautiful English coast with my family when everyone was in a good mood and so happy to be together again for a period of the summer. We enjoyed the calm breeze as we walked along the cliffs, waves licking the jagged rocks, and snapped photo after photo of the picturesque landscape.

I may have also been drawn by the thought of having true scones again served with fresh clotted cream and a steaming pot of Darjeeling tea as my uncle, aunt, and I had during our visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum previous to the day when the rest of my family arrived in England. Amongst the historic atmosphere and delicately designed (and preserved) sculptures and artwork we relaxed beneath an extensive mural which began from the floor and extended across the domed ceiling and down again to the cracked wood floor.

I was enticed: because of the beauty and welcoming language of that post, and I was pushed to leap from the safety of experiencing the trial of going gluten free at home, privately, to sharing my venture with others, and open myself to how others appreciate the result of removing gluten from their diet. Without that post, I may not have jumped into writing that first post, to applying myself to upload photos each time, and looking back, I feel as if I would've missed out on something so special to me now had I not taken that vulnerable first step.

If you would like to read the post that brought me into the world of blogging, click here.

So to celebrate the sixth month of this blog, I have found the perfect recipe for scones, complete with homemade clotted cream. So boil the kettle, find a perfect blend of tea leaves, and steep a pot for you and your friends or family.

Almond Flour Blueberry Scones
Print recipe here.

Put an original twist on your plain scones, and enjoy the sweet taste of blueberries, you can use fresh or frozen in this recipe. What better way to enjoy the quiet afternoons than with a good cup of tea and freshly baked scone, sweetened with natural honey and made from fresh ingredients.

An indulgent bakery favourite, that those who often oppose overly sweet goods will love - no refined sugar.

Makes 6-8 biscuits, depending on the thickness and width.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond flour, plus 1/2 cup as bench flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1-2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

Combine almond flour (excluding bench flour), sorghum flour, brown rice flour and baking soda in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, blend melted coconut oil, eggs, honey, and lemon juice.

Add in wet ingredients into the dry mix, stirring until a nice dough forms, adding 1/4 cup of the bench flour as needed if it is too wet.

Add the blueberries, and blend them into the dough, gently pressing them in. If you are using frozen blueberries, be careful not to over mix or your scones will end up blue - mine did! Chill the dough for over 30 minutes in the fridge, covered.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease with oil, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Between two sheets of parchment or wax paper, roll the dough out using the bench flour to keep the dough from sticking. For larger biscuits, roll the dough to 1 inch thick and cut the dough into circles with a wide biscuit cutter approximately the size of a mason jar top. For smaller biscuits, roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick, and use a smaller biscuit cutter if you prefer.

Place the biscuits 1 to 2 inches apart, and bake in the centre of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes. The edges should just begin to crisp golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving still warm and with jam and Clotted Cream (recipe below).

Almost Clotted Cream
From The Little Black Book of Tea
Print recipe here.

The magnificent accompaniment to traditional British scones, or other tea pastries, clotted cream is the "missing link" between the rich and creamy texture of butter, and the sour taste of sour cream (hence the name). Before the surge of an availability of international products in our grocery stores, clotted cream was almost impossible to get in Canada. Fortunately, this is a tasty substitute for your English tea parties.

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

6 ounces of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until it becomes fluffy. Fold in the sour cream and powdered sugar, mixing well.

Spoon into a small serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to be served.

Spread over scones or other pastries, like butter, and top with jam.

Enjoy! xx S.

Labels: almond, baking, biscuit, blueberry, clotted, cream, fruit, gluten free, jam, lemon, scones, tea