The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (32 page)

While scones were originally oat-based, round, and flat — and about the size of a plate — the scones we have come to know and love became available with the advent of baking powder. This is exactly the type of scone the ladies of Downton Abbey would enjoy, as it is not too sweet and has the right texture for nibbling — perhaps with some Clotted Cream (see recipe in this chapter).

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¹
⁄
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teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces

1 egg, at room temperature

Heavy cream for brushing

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

1. Blend sour cream, vanilla extract, and baking soda together in a small bowl. Set aside.
   
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet.
   
3. In a large bowl, blend together flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in sour-cream mixture and egg until just barely moistened.
   
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, kneading briefly. Pat dough out into a
   ³
   ⁄
   ₄
   -inch-thick round. Cut into 12 wedges and place them 2–3 inches apart on the greased baking sheet. Lightly brush with cream, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
   
5. Bake 12–15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
   

There’s a bit of debate about the origins of the word
scone
. Some historians say it hails from the Dutch word
schoonbrot
, which roughly translates to “beautiful bread,” while others argue its origins can be found in the Stone of Destiny, where the Kings of Scotland were crowned. All we know for sure is that scones were invented in the early 1500s, with the first printed mention of the word being found in 1513; most sources also believe scones were invented in Scotland. Hundreds of years later, the scone is still a much-requested treat.

Another take on the Sweet Cream Scones (see recipe in this chapter), this dish would be a favorite of Countess Cora’s to offer to her younger guests with their tea. While visitors such as the Dowager Countess might prefer less flavorful options, these scones would give a needed variety — not to mention flavor — to a meal that most of Cora’s guests would have experienced on a daily basis.

3 cups all-purpose flour

¹
⁄
₂
cup white sugar

¹
⁄
₄
cup turbinado sugar

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon baking soda

2
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

³
⁄
₄
cup (1
¹
⁄
₂
sticks) unsalted butter, cut into
¹
⁄
₄
- to
¹
⁄
₂
-inch pieces

¹
⁄
₂
cup fresh blueberries

¹
⁄
₂
cup fresh blackberries

¹
⁄
₂
cup fresh raspberries

¹
⁄
₂
cup hulled and quartered fresh strawberries

1
¹
⁄
₄
cups buttermilk

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons vanilla extract

¹
⁄
₂
cup heavy cream (for brushing)

¹
⁄
₂
cup sugar (for sprinkling)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
   
2. In a large bowl and using a wooden spoon, mix together the flour, both sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
   
3. Using your bare hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of bread crumbs. Add berries, mixing well, so that the berries are evenly distributed.
   
4. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract with a fork.
   
5. Once again using your hands, dig a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well. Still using your hands, combine the ingredients until the entire mixture appears wet. Do not overknead.
   
6. Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat down the dough to make a disc about 1
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   –2 inches thick. Using a biscuit cutter (or a knife if you don’t have a biscuit cutter), cut out as many scones as possible and lay them on the baking sheet. Gather together the remaining dough to cut out more scones… but once again, don’t knead the dough too much.
   
7. Liberally brush heavy cream over the top of each scone, then sprinkle them with sugar. Bake the scones for 10–12 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
   

Contrary to popular belief, a lady should
never
 hold her tea cup with her pinkie finger extended. Instead, a woman should place her index finger into the handle of the cup up to the knuckle while placing her thumb on the top of the handle to secure the cup. The bottom of the handle should then rest on her middle finger. The third and fourth fingers should curve back toward the wrist.

All British chefs worth their salt know how to make this classic accompaniment for scones, crepes, and even toast. Clotted cream is an integral part to cream tea, where tea is served with clotted cream, jam, and scones. Most teas offered by the ladies of Downton Abbey are cream teas, and thus Mrs. Patmore would be quite skilled at making — and storing — clotted cream.

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 180°F.
   
2. Pour the cream into an oven-safe pot or dutch oven. The cream should come up to about 3 inches. Cover the pot, then place in the oven for at least 6 hours. The cream will be done when there is a thick yellowish skin on top.
   
3. Let the cream cool at room temperature, then put the pot in the refrigerator for 8–12 hours. Remove clotted cream from the top of the pot and serve cold.
   

Even though menus were extravagant at Downton Abbey, Mrs. Patmore still wouldn’t want to waste a thing. She’d likely save the cream that remained in the pot once the clotted cream was scooped out and use it in another recipe for either the aristocrats or the staff.

This British sponge cake would be served with great aplomb by Mrs. Patmore, on an elegant platter perhaps with sliced strawberries and powdered sugar. Moist yet firm, this Madeira pound cake would be quickly gobbled up by even the most delicate of ladies.

3 cups sifted cake flour, plus additional for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2
³
⁄
₄
cups sugar

7 large eggs, at room temperature

3 teaspoons vanilla paste (bourbon vanilla extract acceptable)

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1. Thoroughly grease a 10-inch bundt pan and lightly dust with flour.
   
2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, salt, and cardamom.
   
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5–10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating between each addition, then mix in vanilla paste and lemon juice.
   
4. Still stirring/beating the mixture, mix in 1
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   cups of the cake flour, followed by all of the cream, then the rest of the cake flour. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue beating until batter becomes creamy and smooth.
   
5. Slowly spoon batter into greased pan, rapping on edges to eliminate air bubbles. Place pan in cold oven and only then turn oven temperature up to 350°F. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs, about 1–1
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₄
   hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 25–30 minutes, then run a knife around outer edges of cake. Then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.