Apple Scone Kind of Day

     It's the first fall-feeling day of the month, and it felt like a baked good needed making.  I bought some apples for just plain eating last week, and since I still haven't, they needed to be dealt with.  And pecans were on sale this week.  Now my house smells like fall, and my stomach is growling.

    I haven't tried them yet because they're too hot, but I will soon, with some good Vermont butter and a glass of milk.  They got me thinking about taking my blog down a new path, or maybe a side-trip once in a while.  Since I don't bake for a living anymore, and most likely never again will, I want to put some recipes, and some baking ideas, out into the universe.

    It's interesting to look back on one's life from this stage, different from other previous stages.  It seems to me at this point that there are segments of my life.  There are the usual stages, common to most:  childhood, teenage-hood, motherhood, marriage (very brief, in my case).  But there are larger chunks:  Working at the Outdoor store, going to France, being a Pastry Chef.  But now, what?  The last few years, I've been taking jobs I can find, just whatever came along.  And then, I decided to get back to what I love:  pastry and baking.  I took a job in a bake shop at a country club, and I thought, ah, this is it!  I can do what I love again!

    Unfortunately, it was not in a place I loved, or with people I could love, making things that I would never love.  I walked out of that job with no notice, something I've never done, and I slammed the door very firmly on baking for a living.  It's what propelled me to retire so quickly, without regret.  

    But I will always be a baker.  I will find joy in making food that makes people happy for the rest of my life, as long as I can stand at the counter near the oven, filling my kitchen with warm smells, digging my hands into dough.  Baking might be thought of as sustenance, but really, it's only here to bring people joy.

    There have been other "making" episodes this week, though.  For example, I finally, after three weeks of ignoring the studio, fixed the problem with the rayon-linen warp, and set out to finish the warp.  Alas, I ran out of weft before I ran out of warp!  The weft is that lovely pink silk, paired with some pink embroidery cotton, and I have none left of either.  So, I wove a tabby hem, and have started hem-stitching it with deep pink beads.

    I'm going to tie a new warp onto this one, to continue using this threading, since I'm still madly in love with the pattern.  

    

There's also been a lot of progress on the Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  I'll just show you a preview, because this box in itself is just full of joy.  I have 38 flowers done, and need 68, so I'm cruising along.  I need a lot more green fabric, and I need about 3 more half yards of flower fabric.  And of course, I'm already planning the next one, in which I hope to dye all the fabric.  Ooooh!  That's going to be fun!

I have Halloween off this year, for the first time in three years, so I am ready for the trick-or-treaters!  Have a wonderful fall week!  And enjoy these scones in your own kitchen!

APPLE-PECAN SCONES

Mix together in a stand-mixer bowl, using the paddle:

3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

zest of one lemon

Add, mixing until the texture of coarse cornmeal:

3/4 cup cold butter cubed in 1/2” cubes

Add, mixing just until incorporated:

2 medium tart apples, cored and cubed in 1/2” cubes

1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

1 cup full-fat yogurt, or sour cream, or heavy cream

juice of one lemon

Flour the countertop generously, and dump the dough onto the countertop.  With your hands, push the dough together into a rectangle, about 1/2” thick, about 9” by 12”. Cut into twelve squares, then cut the squares across to make triangles.  Place about 1 inch apart on a papered sheet pan or Sil-Pat lined sheet pan.  Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake at 350 for about 23-25 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.