Making Clotted Cream - are you Cornwall or Devon?

 

From the very first time I had tea at the now-closed tea shop in town, with its multi-level trays of sandwiches, scones, and sweet baked goods, I was a clotted cream devotee. 

I'll often do 'tea for dinner' at home, ranging from a few items to more food than three people should eat (but do), and always, always try to get clotted cream for the scones.

That's not always an option, however.

Maybe, if the stars align, Whole Foods will have it in stock. 

Or, if we're willing to drive a bit, CostPlus.

Otherwise, I need to really plan ahead and order online, and even that isn't a guarantee.

I'd read these articles or posts about making your own...but there's a little problem. Clotted cream requires exactly one ingredient: unpasteurized cream.

This is the US. We don't DO unpasteurized dairy products.

So I resigned myself to clotted cream roulette. Sometimes I won. Most times, I did not.

 

But last week, I watched the latest episode of Tasting History (by the by, I adore Max and his channel), where he made clotted cream...because he found a low-pasteurized cream!

And I discovered that both Whole Foods and Earth Fare carry that Exact Brand.

So over the weekend...my oven was the star.

And what came out (after a very long rest in the fridge) was decadent and perfection.

Served with heart-shaped scones and strawberry jam (alongside slices of cheese tart and little cakes), it was...everything.

And the best/bonus news: it freezes! 

We had more than enough for tea, and a hearty supply for future needs.

Thank you, Max!

For the record, I am Devon all the way.

If Sparkles Had A Scent

Triple Vanilla Scones

 

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks vanilla is boring.

 

Vanilla is glorious!

It adds layers, brings out flavors...it's magic.

I won't promise that these scones will grant you powers or wishes, but they are tasty.  They do require some planning ahead (AND FREEZER SPACE), but served with a cup of tea (Barry's Irish Breakfast, thank you very much), they are a decidedly non-boring treat. There's even a little surprise inside!

All Day, Every Day

 

Scone Dome

It has long been my belief that restaurants should serve breakfast foods all day.   If you cut off the eggs and pancakes at ten in the morning, points are docked.

Milk Chocolate Chip Scones - Not too sweet

 

We've gotten into the habit of doing a big breakfast for Sunday dinner. The menu changes from week to week. Pancakes, French toast, waffles, biscuits, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, omelets, hash brown, bacon (and faux bacon!); if it's breakfast, I make it. 

Agatha Christie Scones - Quaint Village Murder Optional

It's filling, it's comforting, it's carbolicious.  It's an all-day operation, but always worth it. 

Blueberry-Lemon Scones for the Ent-Child

Timing is critical. We always have tea with breakfast-dinner, but Matt (and Alex, for that matter) can't have caffeine after a certain point, or sleep going AWOL. 

Rings of Carby Goodness, AKA Bagels

So we perversely sit down at the table between five and five-thirty, digging into our mini breakfast buffet. 

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Cheese Drawer Tart

This week, I went with three kinds of scone - Bakery-Style Cream Scones with Chocolate, Agatha Christie's English Scones, and Lemon-Blueberry Scones (which also happen to be vegan), bagels, and a 'Cheese Drawer Tart'; a way to clean out the cheese drawer, use up the last of the cream and those few eggs taking up space.
Sometimes, I even have pie crust dough in the freezer, begging to be used. 

Too much food, but no one ever complains. Bonus: Breakfast is set for next few days.

Tea for Three

I recently purchased this (old) new tea set.

It's not fancy; no bone china here. But there was something about it; I was absolutely charmed by it.

The fact that there were three cups and saucers probably helped.

Which meant it was time for another tea-for-dinner night.

A savory scone, thyme and Gruyere, to go with espresso cups of tomato bisque.

Sandwiches, of course: egg salad, turkey (or faux turkey) and white cheddar, open-faced cucumber on dill- or mint-mascarpone, and pb&j for Alex.

Cream scones and our standard tea - almond from Adagio.

And little lemon cakes, topped with crystalized violets.

Which were not happy with the humidity, as shown above.  Buttercream and steamy weather do not mix.