PINESCONES

YOU WILL NEED

• 6 preserved pinecones

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 180 grams (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 tablespoons sugar (white, brown or demerara—the crunchier the crystals, the better)

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt)

  
  

WHAT TO DO

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment or a silpat.

Mince the pinecones and stir them into the heavy cream with whatever syrup clings to them; set aside to infuse for a few minutes.

Measure the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine, breaking up any errant clumps of baking powder by crushing them between your fingers. Pour in the pinecone cream and fold just until the flour is hydrated (it will be wet and sticky; this is normal). With the lightest possible touch and the fewest possible motions, form 6 shaggy hockey pucks of even-ish size and space them out on the pan (if the dough is too wet to handle at first, let it sit for 5 minutes to gel before you reach for bench flour). Brush the scones with extra cream and sprinkle with extra sugar, if available.

Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 400, rotate the pan and bake for 5-8 minutes more until light golden brown.

Notes

• If pinecone preserves are unavailable, increase the sugar by 1 tablespoon. The results will not be true pinescones but they will be excellent nonetheless, especially if you happen to have some fir jelly and sharp cheese to put on them

• In the Limo’s opinion, mixing fruit of any kind (dried or fresh) into scone dough is a dangerous game; the risk of sugar-scorched bottoms at 425 degrees is too high. However, nuts and seeds that hide within the dough can be quite nice. Repeat to yourself: a pinescone is a birdfeeder

• Consider FL012’s bay leaf butter as an alternate accompaniment, perhaps alongside FL009’s three-stage hammered rhubarb jam and twice-defeated cream