Sense and Sensibility and Scones

Granted, watching Sense and Sensibility and eating scones is not nearly as exciting as the prospect of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but I can't think of many other ways I'd like to spend a Sunday afternoon. The eating scones and watching Jane Austen movies part, I mean - not the zombies. Zombies are really more of a Saturday night activity.

Last weekend, Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast joined Justin and myself for a late afternoon tea time. Scones, of course, are requisite for such an occasion, as are jams, jellies, and out-thrust pinky fingers. I started with Alton Brown's basic recipe, and modified it a little bit to end up with this:

Vanilla Cherry Scones

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1 egg white for egg wash
• cane sugar for dusting
  

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg and vanilla, then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into rectangles, then cut rectangles in half to form scone shape. Transfer to baking sheet and brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with large-grain cane sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy - with pinky out.