sweet and pea

The cherries are ready and I can’t stop buying them. I actually can’t, because E shops with me and will not allow me to pass a table of cherries without taking a bag.

I have some pretty grand plans for the mountain of cherries I brought home, a pie, a clafoutis, a compote, and maybe a cake. But these will have to wait for the weekend and the addition of a cherry pitter to my collection of kitchen gadgets.

In the meantime I couldn’t let all the cherries just sit there, so I made some scrumptious scones. I used whole grain flour, so the scones are on the dry side and won’t keep long. They taste best fresh from the oven and with a generous serving of compote. Usually, when I make scones they don’t last long, but if I know they aren’t going to get eaten that day I’ll freeze the scone and then bake it another day, fresh is best!

Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (whole grain or white)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup pitted, chopped cherries

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar
3. Cut butter into dry mixture until mixture resembles dry crumbs
4. Using a fork, stir butter milk and cherries into mixture until just combined
5. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball, flatten and fold 6-8 times
6. Roll or press mixture into a disk 1 inch thick and cut into 8 wedges
7. Place wedges on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes

Balsamic Cherry Compote

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cherries pitted and chopped

1/4 balsamic vinegar

Steps:

1. Blend or puree cherries and vinegar until smooth
2. Bring mixture to a boil in a large sauce pan, then reduce to a simmer
3. Simmer until mixture is reduced by 1/3 and coats the back of a spoon