MEYER LEMON/KUMQUAT SCONES

​adapted from Michelle Wojtowicz and The Big Sur Bakery
Makes 12 three inch scones
 
For the fruit: (You will need 1 cup total of Meyer lemon slices and kumquat slices)
1 medium Meyer lemon, rinsed, ends removed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, seeds removed (to yield ½ cup)
½ cup thinly sliced kumquats, (rinsed, seeds removed)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
 
In a medium bowl, toss the lemon slices and kumquat slices with the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and set on the counter to macerate for at least two hours or up to several hours, until they soften and give off some liquid. When ready to assemble the scones, transfer the fruit to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and strain off the liquid; you can save the liquid for beverages, if you wish. Line a small baking sheet with a paper towel and spread the fruit out in a single layer on the towel lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the fruit into the freezer while you prepare the scones.
 
For the scone dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup fine cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (Meyer or Eureka)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon vanilla
¾ cup buttermilk

egg wash and coarse sanding sugar (see below)
 
In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, lemon and orange zests, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Place the flour/butter mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes. Retrieve the bowl from the freezer; make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture and drizzle in the vanilla/buttermilk, tossing with a fork until you have a shaggy dough. Gently fold the frozen lemon/kumquat slices into the dough.
 
Line one half sheet baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a 3” biscuit cutter with flour. For each 3” scone, you will need 3 oz. of dough; lightly pack the dough inside the biscuit cutter, smooth the top so it is flat, then slide the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough; you will have a total of 12 scones. Cover the scones with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for two hours or overnight.

To Bake the Scones:

Prepare an egg wash made from 1 whole egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Have some coarse sanding sugar on hand for sprinkling.
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer six of the scones directly from the freezer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 18-20 minutes, just until golden around the edges. You can bake off the second round of scones or wrap the frozen scones in plastic wrap, slide them into a ziploc bag and keep frozen; I’ve kept them frozen for a month and they baked up beautifully. Serve the scones warm with your choice of butter, cream, or marmalade. Wrap any leftovers.