Happy Royal Wedding Day! 🙂 🙂

I was one of those suckers who got up today at 4.30 to make sure that I got to watch as much coverage of the royal wedding as possible (after going to bed around midnight last night after school).  But honestly, it was SO well worth it.  Although now I’m hyped up on coffee and probably will not calm down for about 2 days. **sigh** 

(I also did not take very many pictures, given that I was running back forth from the kitchen to the living room while making the dough… but oh well!)

Last night before bed, I decided to make lemon curd and Devonshire cream (or a makeshift clotted cream), along with some scones to celebrate.  I’m really not entirely crazy – but all of these recipes are incredibly simple, so I figured that I would have no problem getting all of this done (and I didn’t!).  The clotted cream was ridiculously easy to make (basically dump it all in a mixer and whip until done), but the lemon curd was a little trickier.  I was supposed to make it in a double boiler, but alas, I gave mine back to my mom after never using it, so I had to make it similarly to an anglaise, directly over the heat.

The scones were actually fun to make (I made them this morning while watching the wedding)  – I haven’t made any quickbreads in a while, and I forget how nice and simple it is.  I made some alterations to the recipe that I think worked well(supposedly you are only supposed to get 10 scones – I got 20 my way).

When I cut into the scones this morning, they looked awesome – a beautiful crumb on the interior, and crumbly, just like they should be.  For those of you who don’t know, traditional British scones are small and round, similar to the size of a Grands biscuit – the humongo triangle scones are an American invention (surprise, surprise – we super-sized it!)  Since I was doing this on honor of the Royal Family, I made the British-style scones, which honestly I think are more appropriate anyway.

When paired with the clotted cream and lemon curd… divine.  The lemon curd obviously gives a nice tartness, while the cream softens that with some sweetness.  The scone is mild, but still maintains a flavor underneath both toppings.  If I could eat these all day, I would (but I’ll be nice and share with my coworkers).  Recipes are below (with my edits included)

Lemon Curd (adapted from Joy of Baking)

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I got this out of 1.5 medium/large lemons)
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

1. In a sauce pan, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until combined.  Turn heat on medium/medium-low, and stir with a wooden spoon, constantly scraping the bottom of the pan.
2. Continue stirring and scraping pan – DO NOT STOP or your eggs will scramble.  You do not need to violently stir this, just constantly keep it moving.  The sauce is done when it starts to get thick, similar to the consistency of ketchup.
3. Immediately remove pan from heat, and pour through a sieve into a separate bowl (try to remove as much from the pan as you can).  Lightly stir the curd that remains in the sieve to get it through, but do not press down – the point of this is to remove the scrambled egg pieces that inevitably end up in there.
4. Whisk in the butter, piece by piece until completely melted and emulsified.  Add in zest, and whisk until blended.
5. Cool with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly on the curd, so a skin does not form.  Refrigerate for up to one week.

Devonshire Cream (adapted from Joy of Baking)

• 4 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and, with a whisk attachment, beat into a whipped cream until soft peaks are formed.
2. Put immediately into an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. (Preferably use right away)

Cream Scones (adapted from Joy of Baking)

• 2 cups flour (I used pastry flour)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, COLD, cut into pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• additional cream to brush on top

1. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in mixer, and mix with a paddle attachment, just to combine ingredients.
2. Cut butter into small pieces, and add to the dry ingredients.  Either cut in with two forks/knives or a pastry cutter until butter starts to mix.  Then put mixer back on and leave on medium-low until the mixture looks granular.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, and heavy cream.  Add this to the other ingredients, and mix until there are no dry ingredients left in bottom of bowl.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead slightly until dough starts to look slightly smooth.
5. Pat into a circle, and roll out slightly to get to about 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick.  Using a round cutter (2 1/2″ in diameter) cut circles out and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place scones about 2 inches apart on pan.
6. Brush the top of the scones with a little bit of heavy cream, then place in oven to bake for 15-18 minutes.
7. Scones are done when bottom is browned, top is golden, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Put on a wire rack to cool.