Strawberry Scones from Barefoot Contessa

I actually got out of the house today and had lunch with my friend, Alice, at Cracker Barrel. Then I went to Lisa's for a while, taking Michael his Webkinz doggie that had popped some stitches and I'd repaired, and taking Quinlyn the skirt I made Tuesday, and having her try on a dress I made about 12 years ago while taking French machine sewing. She loved them both. I'm going to get the dress ready for her to wear on her birthday November 15. I'll take pics & do a blog then about French machine sewing.
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For now, I decided to give you another scone recipe from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Here's what Ina has to say about this recipe:

I  made scones for a week before I came up with a recipe that would get customers out of their beds in the morning and into the store. This is it. In a world where most scones are like hockey pucks, this is light and moist. We use all kinds of fruit fillings, including raisins, fresh cranberries, and dried cherries. Dried strawberries are available in specialty stores or by mail order. The key to flaky scones is to NOT overblend the butter.

Strawberry Scones

Makes 14 to 16 large scones

4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cold heavy cream

3/4 cup small-diced dried strawberries

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the cold butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, add them to the dough, and mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is well-combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into squares with a 4-inch plain or fluted cutter, and then cut them in half diagonally to make triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked.

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it. If you don't have dried strawberries, use some other fruit. They are luxurious, but worth it occasionally.

Blessings...Mimi