Eating North Carolina and Cheddar Cornmeal Scones by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm just home from a 12 day road trip in North Carolina, part family time, part writing retreat, and part book tour for TOPPED CHEF, along with my writing friends Hallie Ephron and Jennifer McMahon. 

Lucy with Molly Weston

Molly Weston was our guide and host around the Raleigh-Durham, and let me tell you, she knows exactly where to find good food. We ate our way through the area, sampling eastern North Carolina barbecue, fried chicken, fried okra, biscuits, hushpuppies, cole slaw--and don't let me forget some fabulous Mexican food with margaritas!




I did not have time to work out the recipes for those delicacies, though I promise I will try in the future. Meanwhile, I've got biscuits on the brain and I thought I would share one of my fallback recipes. The cheddar cornmeal scones originally came from Epicurious--I've taken a few things out to save prep time, and pumped up the flavor. These go with everything!






Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (can substitute white whole wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
cayenne to taste (I use 1/4 tsp or so)
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425. Mix together the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse meal. Again using the pastry cutter, blend in the cheese. Stir together the egg and milk and add this to the other ingredients. Stir until combined, then dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead  for a minute until everything holds together. Flatten the dough into a disk and cut it into six pieces. Place the sections on an oiled pan and bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned. (Try not to overcook or the scones will be dry.)





Serve with butter and honey. These are magnificent with vegetable soup or pea soup or just about anything else you come up with!








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