Who doesn’t love a good scone? Soft and fluffy, perfect will all kinds of topping, scones are really easy to make and everybody loves them. For this recipe below, I have appropriated the Queensland Country Women’s’ Association recipe and made a slight change.
Of course you have to have jam and cream for scones, so I decided to make my own jam. I had a couple of nectarines which were sweet and ripe, and the resulting jam was exactly the right amount for this batch of scones. It was surprisingly easy to make and given the small quantity, storage and sterilising of jam jars never even came into the picture.
My friends and I devoured a batch on Sunday afternoon, and they joked that with every scone they ate, the dollops of jam and cream got bigger, till they were almost bigger than the scone!
Scones with homemade nectarine jam
Ingredients:
Nectarine Jam:
(makes the perfect amount for a single batch of scones)
2 ripe nectarines (about 250g), diced into small pieces, stones and skins removed. (yields about 150g of fruit flesh)
100g caster sugar
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir without boiling until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a gentle boil and allow to simmer for around 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the fruit pieces. Allow to cool slightly, then blend with a stab mixer, to break down any remaining large pieces.
Scones:
(makes about 20)
The CWA recipe:
3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup cream – my variation: 2/3 cup cream, 1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup milk
Pinch salt
How to:
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Sift the salt and flour together in a large bowl. Make a well and gradually add the milk, cream and butter, mixing well to combine. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until a smooth dough forms. Flatten to about 3cm thick and using a small round cutter cut scones out of dough. Place scones closely side by side (touching) on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with a little milk or butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
Best served warm with lashings of jam and cream. Enjoy!
Variations
Other fruits I have tested with this jam recipe so far are sour morello cherries, strawberries and blueberries.
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