Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Well, they may not be beautiful, but they definitely taste great! That being said, I am slightly annoyed with Tyler Florence. I found his recipe for the blueberry scones on www.foodnetwork.com, and the level was listed as "easy." Now, I'm not disputing that the preparation of the ingredients was easy, but shaping the dough into a rectangular shape? Let's just say it didn't go as planned, and after three unsuccessful attempts to make the desired shape, I lost my temper (apparently I thought I could REASON with the dough). Tyler cautions against mashing the blueberries, otherwise their color will bleed into the dough. Again, I found that one out the hard way. By the time I was able to shape the dough into somewhat of a rectangle, my hands had turned purple and I kept thinking of that girl Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My final verdict? The scones tasted great, but don't attempt this recipe unless you have lots of patience and a lot of time on your hands.

Ingredients:

Blueberry Scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

3. Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

4. Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.