Scones!

Chocolate chip and coffee pecan scones

Twenty years ago, my wonderful friend Virginia gave me Biscuits and Scones by Elizabeth Alston and it is still the best scone book ever! We had chocolate chip, coffee pecan, and orange almond at our chaotic Bridge club yesterday. Here is the recipe for chocolate chip scones and a variation of the coffee scones from Alston's book. Linda T.

Chocolate Chip Scones
from Biscuits and Scones by E. Alston
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking power
8 oz. unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, large
1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (I used sour cream. LT)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used the mini-sized chips. LT)

• Mix flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In electric mixer, beat butter on high speed until creams. Add sugar and beat 3-5 minutes until pale and fluff. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
• Scrape sides of bowl, reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture. Mix onlu until blended. Scrape sides. Ad buttermilk and mix only until blended. Remove bowl from machine. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter and fold in.
• Scoop 1/3 cupsful of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, placing the mounds about two inches apart.
• Loosely cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 45 minutes (or freeze, and when hard, remove to a plastic bag and freeze for up to six weeks).
• Heat oven to 350-degrees. Uncover scones and bake 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 325-degrees and bake 13 minuts longer, or until pale golden brown. Cool, uncoverd on a wire rack.

Coffee Pecan Scones
adapted from Biscuits and Scones by E. Alston
1 cup pecans
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, large
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz. unsalted butter, cold
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

• Measure milk into bowl. Stir in instant espresso. Add egg, and mix well. Set aside.
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Cut in small pieces of cold butter with a pastry blender until mixture is texture of fine granules.
• Add sugar and pecans, toss to distribute evenly.
• Stir in coffee-flavored milk and egg mixture until a soft dough forms. (Do not overwork.)
• Scoop 1/4 cupsful of dough and place about two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes until done. Remove to wire rack, cover lightly with dish towel and cool an hour or two before serving.

Creamy White Chili

Kathy T. served this spicy and delicious white chili on a cold winter's night last week when we got together for Bridge. This large batch of hearty goodness would be great for Superbowl parties!

Creamy White Chili
adapted from Taste of Home magazine

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 16-oz cans cooked great northern white beans, rinsed and drained
1 quart (or 29-32 oz) chicken broth
8 oz. chopped green chilis (vary to taste, this amount makes medium hot.)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried organo
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (vary to taste)
1 pint (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup (8 oz) whipping cream

• Saute chicken, onion, and garlic in olive oil.
• Add beans, chicken broth, chilis and seasonings.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.
• Mix cream and sour cream in small bowl.
• Stir about a quarter-cup of hot soup into creams, then stir tempered creams into soup, and serve.
• NOTE: When reheating, do not boil, or you may curdle the cream.

Makes approximately twelve 12 oz servings of soup.