In my desperation to find something, anything, to bring to the food swap on Saturday, I googled "what to bring to a food swap." It yielded some interesting results; not all practical or very good either. However, I did discover this recipe for lemon poppy scones, which reminded me of a small bag of poppy seeds that I have had for probably over a year (and which made the move with me when I moved out of my old apartment). I also love the combination of lemon and poppy seeds. I did end up bringing these to the food swap, and they were a relative hit--at least I didn't have to resort to giving them away at the end, like I did with my plain buttered popcorn.
I keep on trying to reassure myself about the popcorn failure. James doesn't think it was a failure; he said people liked it (which was true, to some extent, I suppose, as people did put their names down for it). But it was fairly clear that it wasn't terribly popular. But failures are there to teach you a lesson, right? One, popcorn is not a popular food swap item. Two, popcorn must be crunchy for it to be good. I knew this already, but I have no idea why the popcorn turned out not very crunchy. Three, lemon poppy scones are a better item to bring to a food swap than popcorn. Four, cinnamon and sugar are more popular than plain buttered popcorn. Five, lemon poppy scones are still more popular than cinnamon-sugar popcorn, even if you call it "churro popcorn." Six, people are food swaps are very generous, nice people and will trade you for your food even if it is subpar and worth much less than what they are giving you. Seven, better items to bring to a food swap are items that you consume in small quantities (like vinegar?), so that you can make smaller quantities and give away smaller quantities, while still maintaining a certain perception of value. Eight, baked goods, though common, are still popular. Nine, food swaps are a great way to build up a collection of canning jars. I could probably think of a tenth thing, but I'll be rebellious and stop at nine.
Mini Lemon Poppy Scones
Yield: Makes 8
I keep on trying to reassure myself about the popcorn failure. James doesn't think it was a failure; he said people liked it (which was true, to some extent, I suppose, as people did put their names down for it). But it was fairly clear that it wasn't terribly popular. But failures are there to teach you a lesson, right? One, popcorn is not a popular food swap item. Two, popcorn must be crunchy for it to be good. I knew this already, but I have no idea why the popcorn turned out not very crunchy. Three, lemon poppy scones are a better item to bring to a food swap than popcorn. Four, cinnamon and sugar are more popular than plain buttered popcorn. Five, lemon poppy scones are still more popular than cinnamon-sugar popcorn, even if you call it "churro popcorn." Six, people are food swaps are very generous, nice people and will trade you for your food even if it is subpar and worth much less than what they are giving you. Seven, better items to bring to a food swap are items that you consume in small quantities (like vinegar?), so that you can make smaller quantities and give away smaller quantities, while still maintaining a certain perception of value. Eight, baked goods, though common, are still popular. Nine, food swaps are a great way to build up a collection of canning jars. I could probably think of a tenth thing, but I'll be rebellious and stop at nine.
Mini Lemon Poppy Scones
Yield: Makes 8
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
*2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 organic lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, divided
*4 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
Instructions
In large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until blended. Cut butter into small sections. Add to dry mix. Knead until pea-sized pieces form, about 2 minutes.
In separate bowl, combine buttermilk with egg and stir, about 1 minute. Pour onto dry ingredients. Fold with fork until dough forms, about 2 minutes.
Add poppy seeds, lemon zest and juice. Stir until blended, about 1 minute.
Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For mini scones, you should have about 12. For regular scones, you should have about 8. Bake on center rack of oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine juice from 1/2 lemon and caster sugar in small bowl. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove scones from oven. Brush glaze over scones and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Notes
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
*2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 organic lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, divided
*4 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until blended. Cut butter into small sections. Add to dry mix. Knead until pea-sized pieces form, about 2 minutes.
In separate bowl, combine buttermilk with egg and stir, about 1 minute. Pour onto dry ingredients. Fold with fork until dough forms, about 2 minutes.
Add poppy seeds, lemon zest and juice. Stir until blended, about 1 minute.
Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For mini scones, you should have about 12. For regular scones, you should have about 8. Bake on center rack of oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine juice from 1/2 lemon and caster sugar in small bowl. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove scones from oven. Brush glaze over scones and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Notes
* Buttermilk substitute: 2/3 cup milk (at least 2% or whole, not skim) and scant 1 tbsp lemon juice/white vinegar (typical ratio is 1 cup milk to 1 tbsp acid). Mix and let stand for at least 10 minutes or until you see small curds forming.
* Caster sugar substitute: Briefly grind regular white sugar in a coffee/spice grinder. You can grind more than you need and put any extra straight back into the regular sugar.
* For a cinnamon-roll-type glaze/icing, start with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and add freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 tsp at a time, mixing well with a fork each time, until icing reaches desired consistency. Mix in 1 tsp lemon zest (if you have it).You really need a scant amount of liquid to make this into an icing, so don't add too much at the beginning, like I did, otherwise you'll have to add more sugar and end up with way more icing than you need.
Original mini lemon poppy scone recipe from mnn.com
* For a cinnamon-roll-type glaze/icing, start with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and add freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 tsp at a time, mixing well with a fork each time, until icing reaches desired consistency. Mix in 1 tsp lemon zest (if you have it).You really need a scant amount of liquid to make this into an icing, so don't add too much at the beginning, like I did, otherwise you'll have to add more sugar and end up with way more icing than you need.
Original mini lemon poppy scone recipe from mnn.com
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