Anna Sultana’s No knead Orange Scones and Clotted Cream

Goodness, time just flies!

Has it really been about seven years since we baked a batch of Ma's Orange Cranberry Scones to enjoy while we watched Prince William and Kate Middleton get married?

Now we’ll be able to see his brother, Prince Harry, and his lovely fiancé stroll down the aisle.

I can’t wait to see what Meghan will wear!

During William and Kate’s wedding one of the TV announcers mentioned how folks in Merry Old England were sitting down to a brekkie of tea and scones, too.

In keeping with the situation, I plan to bake scones to serve with Twinings English Breakfast tea.

Tradition is important, after all.

Scones are very easy to make.

As it is a British recipe, we Maltese make them, too, using an assortment of fruits and juices, as well as milk and cream.

Want to serve a variety? Try one or two or all of these recipes:

Anna Sultana's Orange Cranberry Scones

Anna Sultana’s Lemon Cranberry Scones

Anna Sultana’s Cream Scones

Anna Sultana’s Scones with Clotted Cream

All would be delicious with a cup of tea… or a Cosmopolitan or two. 

To do it up in a right proper, veddy British way, the scones should be served with clotted cream, which is also called Devonshire or Cornish cream.

Clotted cream has a nutty, cooked milk flavour and as much fat as butter.

It is a thick cream made by heating cow's milk and then letting it cool slowly so that the cream rises to the surface and forms "clots”. 

The Clotted Cream will keep for about a week in your fridge and can be added to mashed potatoes, risotto or scrambled eggs.

It is also delicious with berries, fruit, a slice of pie, or as a topping on any dessert you’re serving.

Well, just about any dessert... probably not on an iced cake.

Hints:

About the clotted cream…

You might be able to find clotted cream in the dairy section of your supermarket.

Most likely, you won’t find it in a North American store.

Not too worry. It’s not hard to make.

If you don’t have a double boiler place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water.

After you scrape off the thicker part of the clotted cream, you’ll be left with cream that is thinner than heavy cream.

Don't toss it. It can be added to beverages or dishes, as you would half and half.

In a rush? Have mascarpone? You’re in luck. You can use mascarpone to make fake Clotted Cream:

Place in a large bowl

4 ounces mascarpone

1 Cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 or 2 Tablespoons sugar

Zest of lemon or lime (optional)

Beat until the mixture looks like softly whipped cream.  

Use right away or cover and refrigerate the cream until serving time.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Not sure if you'll have any use for a tub of mascarpone?

It is a soft unripened cheese that has the texture of sour cream.

Its mild flavour is great with fresh fruit and it is an ingredient in Tiramisu.

You've probably enjoyed it already.

                        

                           No knead Orange Scones

                       

grease a large cookie pan         

preheat oven to 375º        

bake 30 minutes

Makes 15 scones

In a measuring cup beat together

1 Cup orange juice

1 Egg

Add

1 Cup raisins

Set aside

In a large mixer bowl mix together

3 Cups flour

1/2 Cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut in 

1/2 Cup margarine

Add

orange juice / egg / raisins mixture

Stir just enough to combine well

Drop on prepared sheet

Bake 30 minutes

Serve warm with butter or clotted cream

                           Clotted Cream

Yield: about 1 cup clotted cream

Place in a double boiler

4 Cups heavy cream

Heat over medium heat to bring the cream to 175º F, stirring occasionally so that the cream will heat evenly. 

Once you reach 175º F, bring up the temperature to 200º and allow the cream to cook about 45 minutes to an hour. The cream should get a cracked skin. 

Remove the top of your double boiler or bowl and place the container of cooked cream in a pan of ice water to cool quickly. 

Cover the cream with plastic wrap and place the container in the refrigerator.

Let it sit overnight. 

Carefully skim the clotted cream off with a shallow spoon and layer it into a bowl.

Serve it as you would serve butter.

Anna Sultana’s Orange Cranberry Bread and The Beaver Moon

During the holiday season it’s a bit tricky to know how much food to have on hand.

Bake too many cookies and you’ll be munching on gingerbread during Lent and, maybe even at Easter.

Don’t bake enough and you’ll be padding the cookie platter with oreos which nobody believes you baked.

It’s a tricky time, alright.

Managers in grocery stores also face the same problem.

If the meat department runs out of turkeys or hams, well, do you remember that scene in Christmas with the Kranks, when Nora can’t find the Honey Glazed Ham (Blair’s favourite) and has to settle for smoked trout?

It can get embarrassing.

If the manager ordered too much, well, there’s just so much turkey or ham that anybody can face.

Then again… one man’s mistake can be another man’s treat.

If your produce manager ordered too many bags of fresh cranberries and has to sell them at half price, take pity on him and grab as many as you can.

Cranberries have vitamin C, manganese and quite a few vitamins and minerals.

The cranberries can be frozen in the bag, as is, and will keep for nine months.

They can also be used, without thawing, in a few baked desserts.

Hints:

This recipe also works with blueberries.

Don’t have chopped walnuts? Chopped pecans or almonds would also work.

Want a milder orange flavour?  Use vanilla instead of the orange extract.

Almond extract would also work, especially if you are using almonds.

Did a great job of stocking up on cranberries? Here are two more cranberry recipes:

Anna Sultana’s Lemon Cranberry Scones

Cranberry Crumb Bars

Wondering what to do with you Halloween pumpkin? Why not make a pot of soup, as Ma would:

Anna Sultana's Pumpkin Soup, Maltese Style

                                                Orange Cranberry Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Grease 2 9x5x3-inch loaf pans

Combine together in a large bowl

4 Cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

Add

2 Cups sugar

Stir together.

Preheat oven to 325º F

Place in a 2 Cup measuring cup

4 tablespoons vinegar

Add enough water to make 1 1/3 cup

Place in a bowl

2 large eggs

2/3 cup orange juice

the water/vinegar mixture

1 Tablespoon orange extract

1/2 Cup oil

Stir to combine.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture.

Stir just enough to moisten. Do not overbeat.

Fold in

1 Cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

2 Cups fresh whole cranberries 

Divide the mixture between the 2 prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown and a tester inserted in the centre of the loaves comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes, then remove loaves from the pans.

Place the loaves on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Slice and serve as is, or with butter and/or jam.

About the sky this week and next, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

November is the month of the Pleiades star cluster, which will shine all night long on November nights. 

November 2 - Look for Algol, the demon eye, winking this month. Read more about this celestial event here!

November 2-4 - Southern Taurids Meteor Shower peaks. Best viewing anywhere in the sky, from 1-3 a.m. EDT. Unfortunately, the bright gibbous Moon will making viewing difficult. There’s a good possibility of catching 5-10 meteors each hour. The Taurids are actually two annual meteor showers created by the comet Encke. They are named for constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky.

November 4 - The full Beaver Moon at 1:23 a.m. People have asked us: Isn’t the Moon following the Harvest Moon always the Hunter’s Moon? The short answer is no. When the Harvest Moon comes late (as was the case this year in October), the usual procedure is to by-pass the Hunter’s Moon and go straight to the Beaver Moon in November. Why is it called the Beaver Moon? Find out in this short Farmers’ Almanac video: November's Full Beaver Moon

November 5 -  “Fall back!” Daylight Saving Time ends: Don’t forget to set your clocks back 1 hour.

During the early evening hours, a nearly full Moon will cross in front of the orange 1st-magnitude star Aldebaran in the constellation of Taurus, the Bull. This occultation will be visible anywhere to the east (right) of a line extending roughly from Inuvik (Northwest Territories of Canada) to Pensacola, Florida. To the west (left) of this line, Aldebaran’s disappearance will be unobservable because the Moon and star will be below the horizon and either only the star’s reappearance will be visible (just after moonrise) or the occultation will be missed because the Moon and star will be below the horizon for the entire event. Visit this link to see a map of the visibility zone, as well as a listing of nearly 1,200 locations providing times of the immersion (disappearance) and emersion (reappearance) of Aldebaran.

Homemade Candied Fruit Rind Snack - Margaret Ullrich

Citrus fruit is a good buy right about now.

The only problem with citrus is all that rind.

If you've got a composter, it's smelling lemon fresh.

If not, your garbage can is.

Fruit Rind can also be made into a snack.

Yes, really.
There's a recipe for Crystal Citrus Peel in my Purity Cookbook.

I had a grapefruit which I substituted for one of the oranges, made a few changes, and it worked just as well.

Have I ever lied to you?

            Homemade Candied Fruit Rind

              

Makes 1 1/2 pounds of candied rind

Peel rind in quarters of

3 oranges

1 grapefruit

Trim off white membrane.

Cut rind into 1/4 inch wide strips.

Place the strips in a large heavy saucepan.

Add water to cover.

Bring to a boil.  Simmer.  Drain.

Repeat with fresh water 2 more times.

Return rind to saucepan.

Stir in

2 Cups sugar

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

1 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Cup water

Simmer, stirring often from the bottom of the pan, about 40 minutes.

While the rinds are simmering, combine in a small bowl

1 Tablespoon gelatin

1/2 Cup water

Let soften.

Stir into fruit strips until dissolved, then cool.

Lift out strips and roll in

1/2 Cup sugar

When the strips are coated, place on a cookie sheet to dry.

Anna Sultana's Orange Cranberry Scones

What a time this has been... and will be.

Last week was Easter, with all that entails.

This weekend started out with the Royal Wedding.

With all THAT entails.

Thank goodness that wasn't our problem.

But, didn't the bride look elegant!

God bless them.

Next Sunday is Mother's Day.

No, you can't buy marked-down Easter candy for Mom.

She knows rabbits aren't traditional for Mother's Day.

A Mother's love only goes so far.

Monday is election day for us Canadians.

No, we Canadians don't enjoy voting.

We just have a sore loser in opposition who said he doesn't care if he's not elected AGAIN. He'll just vote non-confidence AGAIN, so we'll be stuck voting AGAIN.

What does he care?

We taxpayers are stuck paying for his bad attitude and love of bickering.

Bickering is the only thing he likes about politics.

He has the worst attendance record of all 308 MPs.

He missed 70% of the votes last year.

And yet he wants to be the head of our government.

On to something more pleasant...

Ah, the wedding!

We got up at 4:30 am to watch the fun on the telly.

Lovely, lovely.

In keeping with the situation, we had Twinings English Breakfast tea and scones.

One of the TV announcers mentioned how folks in Merry Old England were sitting down to a brekkie of tea and scones, too.

Scones are very easy to make.

As it is a British recipe, we Maltese make them, too.

Here's a recipe for Orange Cranberry Scones.

It's too late to make for the wedding.

But, maybe for a Sunday...  like Mother's Day...

                        

                           Orange Cranberry Scones

                       

grease a large cookie pan         

preheat oven to 375º        

bake 20 minutes

In a measuring cup beat together

1 Cup orange juice

1 Egg

Set aside

In a large mixer bowl, mix together

3 Cups flour

1/2 Cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut in 

1/2 Cup margarine

Add

milk/egg mixture

1 Cup cranberries (or raisins)

Knead about 6 times and place on cookie pan

Shape into a circle and flatten 

Score into 8 wedges (or more)

Sprinkle with 

sugar

Bake 20 minutes

Serve warm with butter 

or clotted cream (in the dairy section of most supermarkets)

Easy, no?

And perfect for a Mum.

Well, better than marked-down Easter chocolates.

Yes, she would know.

Carmela Soprano's Gnocchi, Anna Sultana's Ravjul (Ravioli Maltese Style)

Potatoes have been on sale lately. 
Time to make some gnocchi.

I've made gnocchi before. Carmela's gnocchi recipe is pretty close to what I usually make.
It's a simple recipe - mashed potatoes, flour, eggs and salt.

Well, I needed a break after making Carmela's Baci Cake.

The Entertaining with The Sopranos cookbook had a few hints I didn't know. "Gnocchi can be frozen up to one month. Do not thaw before cooking." Now you know.

I had planned to make Carmela's Watercress and Orange Salad to serve with the gnocchi. Something light. I tried. Honest. I had the navel oranges. I couldn't find watercress.

Okay... We're talking a winter salad here. I bought some romaine. If I ever find watercress I'll try the oranges with watercress.

Ma never made gnocchi. We had lots of potatoes - mashed, baked, boiled, fried, roasted. Ma never got really fancy with her potatoes. Interesting since Malta produces more than enough potatoes. They even export them to Holland.

What Ma did put some effort into was pasta. I would compare the gnocchi to Ma's ravioli - Ravjul in Maltese. They're both starchy. They're both filling. They both cook in boiling water.

Close enough.

There's something sociable about making ravioli. One person makes the pasta while another makes the filling. Then everyone sits and makes the ravioli.

When my parents came for a visit, Ma and I would whip up some homemade ravioli. Pop would always tell us that his mother used to make ravioli for her family of 10. Well, sure. Grandma had 4 daughters. It was a great way to find out what the girls were doing in a nice non-nosy way. You'd be surprised at what you talk about when you get into pasta making mode.

Ravioli isn't very different from perogies. Pasta, filling, sit and make them, then boil them. I've volunteered a few times to make perogies at church. It's a great way to meet folks and to find out what everyone in the parish is doing. The parish perogies are always way better than the factory-made ones you find in the frozen food section.

Maybe the gossip adds something to the flavor.

It was a good dinner. I'll keep an eye out for watercress and try that salad again.

Another two recipes down. Seventy-five more to go.