Date, Walnut & Gouda Scones

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Date,-Walnut-&-Gouda-SconesWhat started with a simple cheese plate has led to so much more.

One night, a few weeks ago, I got off work late and decided to treat myself to a cheese plate.  I stopped by the store on my way home and picked up a little wedge of raw milk gouda, a few juicy Medjool dates, and some walnuts.  A glass of wine and a movie later, my wheels were turning, thinking of other things I do with this delicious combination of ingredients.  I made a batch of date-walnut bars (good, but the crust was a little too crumbly to share with y’all), a really good stuffed pork tenderloin, and, finally, these scones.  It’s been a good ride.

These scones were the star of a leisurely breakfast last weekend.  They’re a great blend of savory and sweet, buttery layers spotted with big chunks of date, toasted walnuts, and sharp cheese.  Paired with hot coffee, pjs, and good company, is there really nothing more I could ask for on a Sunday morning?  Nope.

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Fresh Apricot & Tarragon Scones

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Apricot Tarragon Scones

This spring, as soon as fresh apricots made an appearance at the grocery store, I made a salad with them and the first sprigs of tarragon from my garden.  The combination was good, day-dreamy good, and my mind wandered to familiar territory: butter, baking, and scones.

Do you remember a few weeks back when I shared an apricot and strawberry cobbler with you?  I told you how the apricots had actually been meant for a batch of scones but (because life happens) they wound up in a cobbler instead.  Don’t get me wrong, that cobbler was outstanding and if you haven’t tried it yet, or at least tried the combination of apricots and strawberries, you should.  Now.

Just because those apricots became a cobbler doesn’t mean I gave up on my dream of fresh apricot scones.  I finally got to them and they were as good in my real world as they were in my day-dreamy fantasy world.  Buttery baked goods and ripe stone fruits are always a winning combination in my book (uh, peach pie anyone?) and the presence of tarragon adds an air of intrigue.

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Strawberry Apricot Cobbler

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Strawberry Apricot Cobbler

We’ve gotten to know each other well enough that I feel I can be completely honest with you.  Want a dose of full-disclosure truthfulness?

I don’t dream in chocolate.  You’re probably never going to find a brownie archive on my site.  Sure, I’ll choke down a chocolate chip cookie from time to time and I’m not above eating nutella by the spoonful, but a really good fresh fruit cobbler or pie is the kind of dessert that actually makes me weak in the knees.

Here’s a good one: warm, just-sweet-enough baked apricots and strawberries, with a rich biscuit topping, dolloped with a spoonful of whipped cream.  Ahhhh…it was my first cobbler of the season and I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed it.  Over the winter, you forget just how good ripe stone fruits and berries are.  Then you encounter a display of fruit you haven’t seen in almost a year, throw together a cobbler, and quickly remember.

This whole cobbler was sort of an accident.  I had thought the apricots were destined for Saturday morning scones, but Saturday morning turned into Saturday afternoon, turned into Sunday evening, turned into OMG–I better do something with these apricots before it’s too late.  I snapped into action and turned them into dessert.

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