Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Squee! Meeting Gale Gand... ginger scones with peaches and cream

Saturday, Kelly and I went to a class at Schnucks Cooks Cooking School. While the classes there are great, this one was extra-special. It was taught by GALE GAND! I am admittedly intimidated by baking... but learning from a famous pastry chef like Gale sure helps me want to practice more! (See Kelly's post about the class here... and make that Panna Cotta... it was glorious.)

The class was fun! While demonstrating some of her favorite, simple yet impressive brunch recipes (her newest book is Gale Gand's Brunch... I want to cook everything in it.), She told stories about all her adventures in Celebrity Chefdom... working with Mario Batali, Martha Stewart, Sarah Moulton... and JULIA CHILD! She even brought Julia's Madeleine pans to the class to show off. Whoa. I kinda wished I would have gotten my photo taken with the Madeleine pan... and Gale's 2 Beard Awards, which she also brought to the class.


Did I mention I felt like a giant next to her? Fun. Seriously, though, Gale was funny, talkative and interesting. And the food she made was fantastic. I can't wait to try more of her recipes! Here is one from her Brunch book. Ginger Scones with peaches and cream. The flavor combo of this dish was delightful! So summery. And it was was pretty easy! This is perfect to go with a cuppa tea on a slow weekend morning. Ahhh...

Ginger Scones With Peaches and Cream
From Gale Gand's Brunch!

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
3 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 1/4 cups whole milk, plus more for brushing
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
4 ripe peaches, cut into small wedges
honey

Heat oven to 375ºF

In a mixer with paddle attachment or by hand in a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, 1/4 cup sugar and baking powder on low speed. With the mixer running, add cold butter and stir until mixture is course and sandy. You should be able to see small pieces of butter. Mix in the ginger, then add the 1 1/4 cup of milk and Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times to bring it together. Roll the dough into a flat disc about 3/4 of an inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Gently press the scraps together and cut again until all the dough is used.Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes. Bake until light golden. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheets.

Meanwhile, whip together the cream, sour cream and 1 teaspoon of sugar to stiff peaks. Serve the scones split open with a dollop of the cream and slices of peaches drizzled with honey. The book says this recipe makes 8 scones, but I ended up with double that... maybe I rolled the dough out thinner? Oh darn.... more delicious scones. :)

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