The scones in Ireland disappointed me. There, I said it. They were dry and tasteless and barely buttery. There was a bakery in Doolin where I was once (so I’d hoped) lucky to get a batch fresh from the oven. To my chagrin, they were not only bland but the texture was more like a biscuit/muffin hybrid. Fishguard, Wales was not much better, although at least they were smart enough to cover the dry little lump with cream and jam. Could this be the way scones are meant to be? For a cluster of islands who are so keen on tea and pastry, I can’t help but suspect it was just bad luck on my part and negligence on theirs. But perhaps my idea of a scone is just too foreign…indeed, my first experiences of the classic teatime delight were not at the hands of a sprightly Welsh or Irish baker, but a regular old American lass.

One of my first jobs was working at a coffee shop. We got many of our pastries from an local independent baker, a statuesque woman with flowing hair and lots of children hanging off her. She made the most fantastic scones and muffins in her home and brough them fresh (and sometimes still warm) to the shop. Well, before long, her prices became too high for the store and the café ended up ordering from another place, USA Gourmet. USAG’s stuff was too sweet and boring in that commercial-kitchen way; what it lacked in character and flavour it tried to make up for in pretty uniformity. Moreover, their “scones” were heavily glazed, tooth-achingly sweet lumps that were more like glorified cookies. Disappointed, I asked the baker on one of her last deliveries if she’d be willing to share a recipe. To my surprise, she said that nearly all her treats had come from two tiny but indispensible baking books: Mostly Muffins and Simply Scones. I immediately bought the scone book, and before long began making my own variations of the recipes therein.

One of my absolute favourites in the book is the apricot scone, since the delicate flavour pairs just perfectly with the creamy and just-buttery-enough dough. It’s actually just an excellent, basic cream scone recipe with the addition of dried fruit. Feel free to add other fruits, nuts, lemon rind, etc. Pine nuts go particularly well in this recipe (add a half-cup or so). The Irish might disapprove, but to me this is the way of a scone: tender, not overdry, pleasantly creamy, and just slightly sweet. So without further adieu,

Apricot Scones
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled (high fat/european style if you can get it)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup of diced dried apricots

Method
Preheat oven to 375ºF
In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute them in the flour mixture. With a pastry cutter or clean fingers, rub the butter into the mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the cream, egg, and vanilla. Add the cream mixure to the flour mixture and knead gently until combined. Knead in the apricots.
With floured hands, pat the dough into a 9 inch round, not taller than 1 inch. Place the round on a greased baking sheet and cut into wedges with a bread knife. Alternatively, you can use a 2 1/2 to 3 inch diameter round cookie cutter to cut them into smaller rounds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until top is barely golden. Transfer to a rack to cool. If it’s a large round, recut into wedges before serving. Don’t forget a thick smear of nice clotted cream! Or if you can’t get that, stiffly whipped heavy cream is darn good, too.