Honey Yogurt Scones (from The Fiddlehead Cookbook)

Scones are often heavy and dense, but these are light and fluffy (and fairly healthy). Probably the best scones I've ever tasted.

Prep Time: 15 Min

Baking Time: 15 Min

Yields 6 Scones

Ingredients:
4 Tbls butter
1 Tbls honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sub sour cream or buttermilk)
1 egg
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour (or decrease to 1 1/2 cups flour and add 1/4 cup whole wheat or graham flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup dried currants, dried cherries, pecans, raisins, blueberries, strawberries, or other fruit/nut combination

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place race in center of oven.

Melt together butter and honey in a small glass bowl in microwave, or in a small pan on stove over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in yogurt and egg.

In a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in currants or other substitutes.

Pour egg mixture over flour mixture and, using a fork, very gently cut together just until dough is beginning to come together but is not quite completely combined.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a 6-inch circle. Fold dough in half and pat out again. Repeat two to three more times, taking care not to overwork or knead dough.

Pat into a 1-inch thick circle (about 6 inches in diameter) and cut into 6 wedges.

Place on an ungreased baking pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

Remove from oven and serve immediately with lots of butter and homemade jam!

Thai Red Curry with Winter Squash

I had an amazing pumpkin curry at a Thai restaurant in Seattle a few months ago and have been wanting to recreate it at home. A cooking date with a few friends from school was the perfect excuse to find a recipe. And the recipe I found is AWESOME.

Jenna, of Eat, Live, Run, wrote about the recipe, "Seriously, I wanted to drink this sauce with a straw. It’s definitely the closet to “authentic” Thai curry I’ve ever gotten at home. You must make this!!!" I knew I had to give it a try. It was not hard to pull together, although it did require some ingredients that I didn't have on hand and had to get at the local Asian supermarket. You can find her original recipe here.

Thai Red Curry with Winter Squash

serves 4

Time: 1.25 hours (includes time to roast the squash)

Ingredients:

1 large kabocha, butternut, or other orange-fleshed squash

1 large handful green beans, cut in half OR 1 small zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

6 Thai basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp red thai curry paste (make sure you get one that says, "red thai curry paste", not just a thai curry paste that appears to be red-colored)

1 (15-oz) can coconut milk

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

2 red thai chilies, pierced several times with a knife

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil on a foil lined sheet tray. Slice squash in half, remove seeds (you can roast them later!), and place cut-side down on the sheet tray. Roast squash halves for about 30 minutes until tender. Remove and let cool completely.

2. In a large pot or deep pan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the curry paste and mash into hot oil so all the paste gets incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the coconut milk, whisking continuously until all milk has been added and no curry “clumps” remain.

3. Add water, torn kaffir lime leaves, thai basil, fish sauce, brown sugar and chilies and bring to a simmer. Add bell peppers and green beans or zucchini and continue simmering sauce for about 15 minutes until vegetables are just cooked but not mushy.

Peel or slice kabocha squash away from peel. Chop into large chunks and add to the curry sauce.

Serve curry over jasmine rice (don’t eat the chilies!).