Lauren Elliott Hello, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen! I’m honored to be here and would like to say a big thank you to Leslie Budewitz for inviting me and Libby Klein for being our host today. This guest appearance is perfect timing as I’ll soon be celebrating the release of Dedication to Murder, book nine in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series.
Many
of you who have read my books might be wondering why an author who writes about
a thirty-something-year-old woman’s love of rare and gently used books and
doesn’t highlight any recipes in her bookshop series would be a guest on a blog
called Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. That’s simple. Even though this is not a
culinary mystery series, a lot of eating does take place, and my main character,
Addie Greyborne, can often be found munching happily away on a scrumptious
scone or cream-cheese-icing-slathered cinnamon bun, courtesy of Martha’s
Bakery, which just so happens to be right next door to Addie’s bookshop in the
fictional town of Greyborne Harbor, Massachusetts. So,
even though there are no recipes in my books—for good reason—as I, just like Addie,
who once had to call the fire department when she made a pot of spaghetti, am
more of a disaster in the kitchen than a culinary master, my characters do
enjoy delectable treats. Due to my British/Irish ancestry, the first thing that
pops into my mind when Addie needs a go-to snack is tea and scones. Lucky for
Addie, her best friend, Serena Ludlow, owns a specialty tea shop, and Martha
Stringer often has something new baking away each day. Now, Martha and I don’t
have much in common (except for one or two creaking knees!) but even I, a disaster
in the kitchen, can bake scones without breaking into a rash or burning my
house down.
"Even though there are many similarities between them, British and American scones are actually very different."
Scones are traditionally connected to Scotland, England, and Ireland and originated as a quick bread made with oats then cooked on a griddle. Today’s versions are generally made with flour and baked in the oven and have grown in popularity in America over the years. Even though there are many similarities between them, British and American scones are actually very different. British scones are more basic and easier to make since they traditionally contain fewer ingredients and were meant to be topped with things such as clotted cream, butter, lemon curd, and/or different types of jams and jellies. American scones offer a variety of ingredient additions and range between sweet to savory. There is also a difference in shape as American scones are often cut into wedges or triangles while British scones are circular, fluffier, and resemble an American biscuit.
The
basic recipe, and the one I follow, can be used for either, but I take it one
step further in its simplicity—disaster
in the kitchen, remember—and I don’t even roll out and cut the dough into
shapes. I simply drop it from a tablespoon onto a parchment-paper-covered
baking sheet and let the oven do its best.
EASY
SCONE BASIC RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2
1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar (use 1/3 for slightly sweeter scones)
2⁄3 cup milk
DIRECTIONS
Heat
oven to 425°F (220 Celsius)
Put
flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl; mix, stirring well
Add
butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the
mixture looks like fine crumbs.
Add
sugar; toss to mix.
Add
milk and stir with a large spoon until dough forms (the dough may be a bit
crumbly).
Place
dough on floured counter and knead gently until the dough comes together in a
ball. Note: Cooking Preparation Options
I
skip the last step above—the easier the
better I say— and drop about half a tablespoon of rough dough onto a parchment-paper-covered
cookie sheet, so they’re slightly apart for crisper edges.
Others
prefer patting or rolling the dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick and
then cutting each circle into 6 or 8 wedges and then place them on a greased or
parchment-paper- covered cookie sheet, slightly apart for crisp sides, touching
for soft sides.
For either method bake about 12 minutes or until medium brown on top.
See, easy-peasy and something scrumptious to munch on while you enjoy reading the latest adventures of Addie Greyborne in Dedication to Murder.
A first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit provides bookshop owner Addie Greyborne a
telling clue to a cold case in her family’s past . . .
Wedding bells are about to ring again
in Greyborne Harbor, and as Addie slips into her white dress her thoughts are focused
on a bright future with Dr. Simon Emerson. But a discovery in her attic leads
her to startling revelations about the past. As the owner of Beyond the Page
Books and Curios and a lifelong bibliophile, Addie is delighted to find a rare
collection of classic children’s books gathering dust in a secret room beneath
the rafters, including a first edition of The
Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. To her surprise, a handwritten
inscription on the title page provides a clue to unraveling a complex mystery
in Addie’s family . . .
But that’s only the first surprise in a series of shocking twists that will
turn Addie’s vision of where her life is going and where she’s come from upside
down—including a suspicious death in the present that suggests foul play.
For a chance to win a signed copy of Dedication to Murder, just leave a comment answering this question: Do you enjoy reading the classics and if so what is your favorite of all time and one you would like to see featured in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series?
Lauren
Elliott is the USA Today bestselling author of the Shay Myers
Tea Shop Mysteries and the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Series. She grew
up devouring Nancy Drew, graduated to Agatha Christie, and then began writing
her own mysteries, as well as bringing her passion for storytelling to careers
in professional theater and journalism. She can be found online at
LaurenElliottAuthor.com.
For more information about books, upcoming releases, sales and tons of giveaways, please check out Lauren Elliott’s Mystery Readers Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1213565802478082
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