A Bowl of Lemons

Yesterday Ted and I went to Costco.  I love Costco.  Where else can you buy tires, raspberries, and reading glasses all in one convenient stop?  Every time I go there I tell myself that I'm going to use some self control and buy only what's on my list.  Unfortunately, it never quite works out that way because they always have so much good stuff that I simply can't live without.

The box of Meyer lemons I came home with yesterday is a good example.  Now, it's true that  I do go through a lot of lemons.  They add a nice little sparkle to lots of different dishes.  But did I really need 15 Meyer lemons?  Probably not.  They just looked so cheerful in their little plastic box and Meyer lemons are so delicious that I couldn't pass them up.  So, now I have 15 Meyer lemons and it's not even lemonade season.  What to do, what to do.

Well, when life gives you Meyer lemons, make lemon poppy seed scones.  Meyer lemons are sweeter than your run of the mill lemons and they have delicious, juicy zest, a key component in lemon scones.  Lucky for me that I also bought butter at Costco, because the recipe I use for scones uses 3/4 of a pound, which is a lot of butter, especially if you're only buying it one pound at a time.  But, Costco being Costco, the butter comes in a  four pound package so I was in good shape to make scones and not dip into the butter I needed for the week.

I don't actually know where I got this recipe.  I've been using it for a long time as a basic scone recipe and I just substitute in whatever flavorings I feel like.  The last time I made them I used dried cherries and almonds, and they were really good too.

So anyway, I made these scones this morning.  They were light and airy, the way a scone should be, not like those little rocks they call scones at Starbucks.  These are very easy to make and only take a few minutes, so if you're feeling inspired on a Sunday morning you can whip them up and look like you really have it all together (even if you don't).

Recipe:  Meyer Lemon and Poppy Seed Scones

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated zest of meyer lemon
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water for egg wash
sugar for sprinkling
1 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed juice of meyer lemon

Preheat the oven to 400.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds.  Pulse a few times to combine well.  Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter us cut into pea sized pieces.  Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a small bowl.  While pulsing, add the egg and cream mixture to the dry ingredients through the feed tube.  Pulse until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter or board.  Knead lightly and then form into a circle, about 3/4 inch thick.  At this point, you can either cut the circle into wedges or use a round cutter to create round scones.

Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush the top of each scone with the egg wash and then sprinkle lightly with a little granulated sugar.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.  The scones will be golden brown and firm to the touch when they are done.

Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.  In the meantime, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice,  Drizzle the glaze over the scones and all to continue cooling.