Nectarine Sconecakes

. Martha, Martha, Martha.  Oh, Martha.  You've done it to me again.  Caught me hook, line and sinker!

And with what bait, you ask?  Nectarine Shortcakes [but I'm debating calling them scones...].  Pure, plain and simple (I'm all about the three-word phrases today, by the way.  Oh, there's another one!).

Well, it's not hard to imagine that these Nectarine Shortcakes took over my heart in all but the two milliseconds (mmhmm, milliseconds) it took for me to take one large bite out of these little lovelies.  Ever since I can remember, I've had a deep-burnin' love for nectarines.  By far my favorite fruit of all time.  A juicy, ripened [should I add in one more adjective to keep the theme running?] is almost....no, IS impossible to beat.  Please, provide an example of something better than a nectarine.  Can't.  Sorry.

So the nectarine element in this treat is fairly self explanatory.  I'll admit though, I was a bit worried when I first started putting these together because my nectarines were not quite ripe.  But don't worry folks, Martha covered us on this, too.  The nectarines macerate before being added to the dough and this little trick really brings out their wonderful sweetness.  So ripe or not quite there yet, everything will turn out just fine.

The shortcake/scone [I can't decide which is a better descriptor?  Sconecake?!]  part is, quite honestly, one of the best I've tasted.  And no questions asked, the best 'sconecake' I've ever tried making.  I've made shortcakes and scones before and have been somewhat disappointed.  The last shortcake I made was beyond bland.  My parents and boyfriends' parents can vouch for me on this one.  And I've made a few scones before that were actually pretty good, but can sometimes run on the bland side or dry out.  However, not the case with this one here.

This 'sconecake' has a slight sweetness, which kind of reminded me of those Hawaiian Sweet Rolls we have come to love and devour.  Not too sweet but just enough to keep your attention.  They were also so extremely moist [thanks to the nectarines] and soft that I was actually very surprised.  Like I mentioned, it's hard to find recipes that turn out like this.  And before baking, the 'sconecakes' are brushed with cream and sprinkled with raw sugar, which gives them an ever so subtle crunchy top.  Superb.  Simply superb.

And even though I can't get nectarines at my local farmer's market [boo], this is such a great weekend breakfast/brunch recipe to try for those of you who can.  Well, I guess even if you can't you can still have a go!

But before you get started, I came to the realization that including the 'My Notes' section of my posts before the actual recipe would probably be more beneficial.  I mean really, what sense does it make for someone to get through the recipe and then read my tips.  A little too late, right?  So here are my notes for Nectarine Shortcakes, let me know if you like this move or if you'd still prefer keeping 'My Notes' until the end .

My Notes

• These 'sconecakes' are best the day they are made, however, I surprisingly noted that they were still fantastic two days down the road.  They did soften quite a bit because of the fruit, but they were addicting nonetheless.
• I am thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly, convinced that the reason these scones came out so wonderfully [not to toot my own horn!] is because I used a food processor for as many of the steps that I could.  In the past, I've handled the dough much more and it resulted in tougher goodies.  Use a food processor if you have one!
• Keep your ingredients (i.e., butter, heavy whipping cream) in the refrigerator until you are absolutely ready to use them.  The cold ingredients produce a lighter, flakier, end result.

Nectarine Sconecakes

From Martha Stewart



Ingredients:

1/2 lb. nectarines, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 c. plus 2 tsp. sugar

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 c. heavy whipping cream, plus more for brushing

Sugar in the Raw, for sprinkling

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 400°F.  Combine nectarines, lemon juice and 2 teaspoons sugar in small bowl.  Let stand for 15 minutes.

2.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl.  Using a pastry blender or food processor, cut in butter until mixture forms small pieces.

3.  Stir in heavy whipping cream.  

4.  Fold in nectarine mixture.

5.  Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface.  Pat into 8-1/2-inch round.  

6.  Using 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Brush with heavy whipping cream; sprinkle with sugar in the raw.  

7.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool on wire racks.  

Yield: 8 'sconecakes'