Smoked Turkey, Cheddar, Chive Scones

When we were heading camping last week I decided that I absolutely had to do something I haven't done in months - turn on the oven and bake. If you asked me why I'd have no rational reason for you. Just don't ask. It is better that way.

For some reason I had the cravings for cheddar scones.

It wasn't completely a whim - I had a hunk of aged cheddar that needed to be used up. The chives in the garden are out of control.

That became the source of my google search - cheddar, chive scones.

I found a great recipe on the King Arthur Flour site (why the heck have I never been there before???????) but it called for bacon. We're not eating much bacon these days so I subbed in some smoked turkey. The results were amazing!

We usually think of scones as sweet, not savory. But these rich, tender scones are packed with chunks of cheese and turkey, and accented with fresh chives. They are great on their own or you can serve them with soup or a salad for a satisfying meal.

Smoked Turkey, Cheddar, Chive Scones

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Perfect Pastry Blend
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold  butter
1 cup (4 ounces) very coarsely grated or  diced cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (about 1/2 ounce) snipped fresh chives, or finely diced scallion tops (the  green part, 3/4 ounce)
1/2 pound smoked turkey, cubed
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) heavy cream or whipping cream (I used light cream and it seemed to be OK), or enough to make the dough cohesive

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some of the butter remaining in larger pieces.

Mix in the cheese, chives, and smoked turkey until evenly distributed.

Add ¾ cup of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it’s crumbly and won’t hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the shaggy dough to a well-floured work surface.

Pat the dough into a smooth 7" disk about ¾" thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet.

Use a knife or bench knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan.

Brush the scones with a bit of cream; this will help their crust brown.

Bake the scones for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Comments

[bellini]

I much prefer a savoury cheese scone over something sweet, even for breakfast. These sound wonderful Jerry.

[Katie]

I love savory scones! It's time to start using my oven again. Fresh tomato soup and scones....

[Kayte]

These savory scones look delicious. My first thought was that the whole reason I like to eat scones is so I can have somewhere to park a bit of jam...so I wasn't certain that this would work with these, but I think some cranberry jam would be perfect with these...or that DH tomato chutney I made last week, that would be great with these as well. Scones are relatively easy...probably should mark these to try, shouldn't I? Okay...I will.

[JDeQ]

I am with you on that one bellini - savoury over sweet almost every time in my books.

MM - I have never tried making fresh tomato soup Katie -perhaps I should before the decent tomatoes are gone.

Funny Kayte - even when I eat sweet scones I NEVER add jam . . . a drenching of butter but that is about it.