In this Post: White Cheddar & Scallion Scones with Pears and Cracked Pepper Honey
“If we were vampires and death was a joke, we’d go out on the sidewalk and smoke. And laugh at all the lovers and their plans; I wouldn’t feel the need to hold your hand … Maybe time running out is a gift …” – Jason Isbell
If time was limitless, and there was an infinite amount of sand in the hourglass, we wouldn’t appreciate things nearly as much would we? “It’s knowing that this can’t go on forever …” We wouldn’t laugh as hard or cry as freely or savor the little things or revel in the big things. We’d miss it all, for failure to notice and an apathetic lack of interest. All of the scattered, beautiful, confettied moments that color a lifetime would fall to the proverbial floor. Milestones wouldn’t be celebrated. Bucket lists wouldn’t exist and cries of “carpe diem!” would ring hollow and empty.
The irony is that, if we all had forever on our hands, we’d have greater difficulty realizing the power and beauty of every single day. Quantity diminishes quality. Perhaps I’m thinking about this because of how often my kids tell me that we can “just do it tomorrow.” That is the blissful ignorance of childhood – they just don’t realize. “I’ll do it tomorrow” is easily justified if you think you have an infinite pool of tomorrows. But the significance of the everyday would dwindle down to a numbed nothingness. A vampiric curse. And that’s sad.
Trying to fully notice and all-the-way-feel and tightly grasp and deeply appreciate and desperately cling to the very fleeting, numbered moments that we DO have is the key – an imperative practice that is required of a life where times does, in fact, run out. And THAT isn’t sad, it’s a beautiful opportunity and a worthy challenge.
How do you savor the little things and stay mindfully aware and appreciative? How do you keep from wishing the time away and missing the confetti? I always love when people share with me on this particular subject … one that is perpetually a focus of my writing and rambles …
For me, often times, baking is a wonderful answer to the above question. It calls for a haulting; a slowing down of things. You create something with your hands from very little, diligently maintaining focus on the amounts, ingredients, directions, and steps at hand. One by one. You enjoy that thing. Others enjoy it. You enjoy it with others. And that’s really something. It’s everything, really. A time-tested thread in the fabric of actual, real-deal happiness … brought to you today in part by these delicious White Cheddar and Scallion Scones with Pears and Cracked Pepper Honey.
I’ve got a wonderful scone recipe here for you today – a savory version – and it’s a perfect weekend baking project, me thinks. I fill these buttery bites with scallions and sharp white cheddar cheese (such as Tillamook, my favorite) and then to balance everything out, I serve them with slices of fresh pear and a drizzle of cracked pepper honey, which is nothing more than honey with lots of freshly cracked black pepper. When I develop recipes, I try to keep that flavor balance in mind as best I can, and in this recipe, I think everything is just totally aligned and works together very nicely. This is a fantastic wintry addition to any breakfast or brunch spread and, as I have nagged you before, try making your scones round, rather than triangular, to avoid any pesky dried-out edges.
This one hits all the notes, guys,
White Cheddar & Scallion Scones with Cracked Pepper Honey
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup cold butter cut into small cubes
- 2/3 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
- 3 tsp cracked black pepper divided
- 3 scallions or green onions chopped
- ¾ cup heavy cream plus extra for brushing
- ½ cup honey
- Fresh pear slices for serving
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut cold cubes of butter into the flour mixture until it is fully incorporated and the mixture has a mealy texture. Add the cheese, 2 tsp of the pepper, and the scallions and mix together until well combined.
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Fold in the cream and mix together until just combined and the mixture has formed into a dough. Form the dough into 2 rectangles and place in fridge for about 30 minutes. Once chilled, flatten the rectangles to about ½ inch thick and cut out round scones, using a small glass, biscuits cutter, or small measuring cup (I use my ½-cup measure for this). Alternatively, you can shape the dough into a round, ½-inch-thick disc and slice it into 8 wedges.
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Brush the tops of each scone with a thin layer of cream and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops just start to brown.
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Meanwhile, combine the honey with the remaining 1 tsp of cracked pepper, and set aside until needed.
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Serve warm, with some sliced pears on the side, or you can slice open the scones and serve the pears on the sliced halves, drizzled with some of the cracked pepper honey.
