Longbourn Lavender-Vanilla Scones

I had visited my local tearoom about a month ago and found that they were serving Lavender Tea Scones. I jumped at the chance to try one. Normally I am a fan of lavender infused foods, although I found the scones to have a bitter processed taste and there appeared to be no actual lavender in them. When I asked the owner what she had used, she said that it was imitation lavender extract as well as lavender flavored black tea. That explained the bitter processed taste.

On my way home from the tearoom, I stopped by a local lavender farm picked up a package of fresh culinary lavender, went home and headed straight to the kitchen to create my own Lavender Tea Scones.
I opted out of using the black tea as occasionally this can make the scones bitter. I also decided to add vanilla as it compliments the lavender perfectly.

After trying a few recipes out to find the right amount of lavender to use, I finally debuted them a tea my friend was hosting. The theme for the tea happened to have been Pride & Prejudice, which led us to the discussion of Mrs. Bennet and her nerves. After trying these scones my friend replied that these should have been a staple in the Bennet household as lavender is said to be calming. Thus these scones were named Longbourn Lavender-Vanilla Scones, or as my friend called them “How To Deal With Mrs. Bennet’s Nerves“.

I can just imagine the Bennet girls as well as their father with a plate of these scones and a nice cuppa of chamomile tea hiding from Mrs. Bennet and her nerves.


The following are a list of teas that taste lovely with the scones:

Harney & Sons Yellow & Blue
Twinings of London Lady Grey Tea

Longbourn Lavender-Vanilla Scones
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Ingredients:

2 Cups of Self-Rising Flour*
1 ¼ teaspoons of Baking Powder
1 ½ Sticks of Butter, cold cut into chunks
⅓ Cup of Sugar
2 Large Eggs
½ Cup Milk
2 Tablespoons of Culinary Lavender (do not crush the lavender it makes it bitter)
2 ½ Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract

*If you do not have self-rising flour you can make your own.
-For every 1 cup of Flour add 1 ½ teaspoons of Baking Powder and a pinch of salt.

Sift together Flour and Baking Powder in a large mixing bowl.
Add in Sugar and chunks of Butter. (Cold butter will mix better).

Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles bread crumbs.




In a separate bowl, add two large eggs and milk.

Whisk together until frothy.




Pour Egg-Milk mixture into the Flour mixture.
Stir together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is slightly blended.





Place mixture upon a floured surface and kneed, about 1-2 minutes, until it resembles dough. DO NOT OVER KNEED, this will make the dough tough.

Place your dough into a clean mixing bowl.
Add in Lavender and Vanilla.

Mix together with hands.
Place on floured surface, kneed 2-3 times to ensure Lavender is evenly blended.

Roll dough out to ½ an inch in thickness and cut with a medium sized biscuit cutter.
(If you prefer wedges, roll dough into an 9 inch circle (½ an inch in thickness), and cut into 6-8 wedges.)
Place on ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
Remove and place on a wire cooling rack then either serve or store.*



*If you are planning on serving these fresh from the oven brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar before placing them into the oven.

*If you are planning to store, make sure that they are cooled completely before placing in an airtight container.

Until We Meet Again,

Dreaming of Darcy Post and Giveaway

It seems that Mr. Darcy is the perfect embodiment of the Romantic Hero.
What is it that makes Mr. Darcy a lasting literary icon? Could it be his transformation from snob to suitor? His dashing good looks? The fact that he owns a sizable estate in Derbyshire? His large fortune, (£10, 000 a year), that certainly turned Mrs. Bennet’s head.

While one cannot pinpoint the exact cause of his legendary status we do know that Fitzwilliam Darcy is the most recognized hero that Jane Austen created; he also happens to be the character most authors choose to write about, whether it is historical, contemporary, or something in-between. Many of us find ourselves fascinated by this figment of Miss Austen’s imagination and I will admit I am just as fascinated as the rest of you.

I have read so many spin-offs, add-on, and rewrites where Mr. Darcy is front and center. With books ranging from the paranormal, Mr. Darcy’s Bite by Mary Lydon Simonsen (Sourcebooks Landmark, October 2011), and Vampire Darcy’s Desire by Regina Jeffers (Ulysses Press, out now) to contemporary. Want to read about Darcy channeling his inner guitar god complete with skin-tight black leather pants? (Yes, Please!!!!) Then I know the perfect book for you, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud (Sourcebooks Landmark, September 2011). It’s guaranteed to rock your world!

We have read about the “Trouble With Mr. Darcy” in Sharon Lathan’s fifth novel in her Darcy Saga. We have seen him take a wife (Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Mary Berdoll, A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Simonsen). Kara Louise told us “Only Mr. Darcy Will Do”. Abigail Reynolds posed the question, “What Would Mr. Darcy Do?’ and PO Dixon tells us “What He Would Not Do”.

We have read about his passionate side (In the Arms of Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan) as well as his dark side (Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange). We have learned his secrets of becoming a gentleman thanks to Maria Hamilton (Mr. Darcy and the Secrets of Becoming a Gentleman) while Susan Adriani brings “The Truth About Mr. Darcy” to light. We have shamelessly thumbed through his private diaries; admit it you know you have. Yet, we still yearn for more.

No matter how he is portrayed: paranormal, historic, or contemporary at his core he is still the same iconic literary figure that was created nearly two hundred years ago. Talk about staying power.

I find myself constantly asking people “Who is your Mr. Darcy?”. Some may say Colin Firth’s portrayal stole their breath away. While others, myself included, absolutely adored Matthew Macfadyen’s poignant portrayal. On a few occasions, to my surprise, people have told me that it was Elliot Cowan’s performance as Mr. Darcy in Lost In Austen that captured their Darcy.

No matter the outcome of the “Firth-Macfadyen’ debate, I believe that everyone, once they have read Pride & Prejudice, creates their own Mr. Darcy.

That leaves me one question: Who is your Mr. Darcy?

I would be remiss to go on blathering about these wonderful titles without offering you the chance to claim some of them as your own.

Dreaming of Darcy Giveaway Includes:



Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (to see how it all began)
Mr. Darcy and the Secrets of Becoming a Gentleman by Maria Hamilton
Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise
A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Simonsen
What Would Mr. Darcy Do? By Abigail Reynolds


1 Tin of Twinings of London Loose English Breakfast tea
1 Box of Twinings of London English Breakfast tea

1 Mrs. Darcy Mug

To enter please answer the question: Who is your Mr. Darcy?
Please leave your name & a valid email address.
Giveaway is open Internationally
Ends September 16th, 2011

Until We Meet Again,

Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley Pomegranate Scones

Over the weekend, I was planning to host a tea for a few close friends who also happen to be fellow Jane Austen Addicts. I wanted to come up a new scone recipe as I had grown tired of the normal ones and wanted something a bit different.

Unfortunately, I was stumped and seeing that the tea was only a few days away, I resigned myself to making my old tried-and-true Scottish Gingerbread Scones. So, with my scone dilemma remedied, I fixed me a cuppa tea in my Mrs. Darcy mug and set to rereading, “Two Become One”, the first book in Sharon Lathan’s Darcy Saga.

After reading the first few chapters, I started wondering what kind of scones Mr. Darcy would have ordered to be made. (I say ordered to be made because I just do not see Fitzwilliam Darcy rummaging around in the kitchens whisk in hand wearing a Regency-style “Kiss the Cook” apron.) Thus, Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley Pomegranate Scones were born! I am fairly sure that Lady Catherine would be highly envious of the delicious delights!

Of course, if you are having Darcy-inspired scones, you will have to have a tea worthy of the owner of Pemberley thus I recommend Twinings of London’s Darjeeling Tea. Known as the “Champagne of Teas”, it is described as a ‘delicate Indian tea with a unique character that is liked to the Muscatel grape’. I believe that Mr. Darcy would approve.

I hope you enjoy the scones & tea!

Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley Pomegranate Scones

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Ingredients:

2 Cups of Self-Rising Flour*
1 ¼ teaspoons of Baking Powder
1 ½ Sticks of Butter, cold cut into chunks
⅓ Cup of Sugar
2 Large Eggs
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup of Dried Pomegranates
½ Teaspoon of Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon of Cloves
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon


*If you do not have self-rising flour you can make your own.
-For every 1 cup of Flour add 1 ½ teaspoons of Baking Powder and a pinch of salt.

Sift together Flour and Baking Powder in a large mixing bowl.
Add in Sugar and chunks of Butter. (Cold butter will mix better).

Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles bread crumbs.




In a separate bowl, add two large eggs and milk.


Whisk together until frothy.






Pour Egg-Milk mixture into the Flour mixture.
Stir together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is slightly blended.






Place mixture upon a floured surface and kneed, about 1-2 minutes, until it resembles dough. DO NOT OVER KNEED, this will make the dough tough.





Place your dough into a clean mixing bowl.
Add in dried Pomegranates, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.





Mix together with hands.
Place on floured surface, kneed 2-3 times to ensure Pomegranates are evenly blended.



Roll dough out to ½ an inch in thickness and cut with a medium sized biscuit cutter.






(If you prefer wedges, roll dough into an 9 inch circle (½ an inch in thickness), and cut into 6-8 wedges.)
Place on ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
Remove and place on a wire cooling rack then either serve or store.*



*If you are planning on serving these fresh from the oven brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar before placing them into the oven.

*If you are planning to store, make sure that they are cooled completely before placing in an airtight container.

Until We Meet Again,