Courtesy of the ever-delightful, always delicious recipes of Nigel Slater. These scones are savoury, cloud-like mouthfuls flecked with orange. An autumnal breakfast/brunch/snack/lunch. Just put it in your mouth. Makes 18 or so.
- 250g squash (pumpkin, butternut, anything you like) flesh, cut into 2cm chunks
- 400g plain flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 85g butter, cold from the fridge
- Black pepper
- 80g parmesan, grated
- 100ml milk
- 100ml water
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- Pre-heat oven to 200C fan (220C)
- Steam the squash for 8-10 mins until tender, then tip into a bowl and crush roughly with a fork
- In a separate big bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt
- Grate the cold butter into the bowl and rub in with your fingertips until it’s the consistency of breadcrumbs
- Add the parmesan, crushed pumpkin, mustard, milk and water. Grind in some black pepper
- Mix it all together quickly, gently and carefully, taking care not to overmix or your golden pillows will go stiff and dry
- I’ve always found the dough too loose to use a rolling pin and cutter, so my version makes more splodges than neat cylinders. I use a tablespoon dunked in cold water to spoon untidy, tall blobs onto a baking sheet with a bit of space between each one.
- (Nigel also egg washes his scones, which will undoubtedly be glossy and lovely, but always feels like a bit of a waste of egg to me)
- Bake for 14-16 mins until they are golden and just catching around the edges
- Cool on a rack before scoffing whilst still warm, slathered with salted butter
They don’t keep well, so eat them up the day you make them. This won’t be a problem. Or stick them in the freezer for later
Sophie cooks 