Quick Vs Long Lockdown Recipes: Scones Vs Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

This week I've got a couple of sweet treat recipes to share with you. First up are some sweet scones, which rise like a dream. If you have a bit more time, try making this special chocolate and pear dessert with delicious infused flavours of vanilla and cardamom.

Sweet scones (makes 6 large)

Mix together self raising flour 350g, salt 1/4 tsp and baking powder 1 generous tsp. Add cubed butter 85g and rub together with fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in caster sugar 3 tbsp. Add warm milk 175ml which has had a squeeze of lemon juice added to it, and stir to bring together to a dough.

Fold the dough over a dozen times on a floured surface to bring it together, then spread out using your hands until it is approx 4cm deep. Use the top of a glass to cut out your scones. 

Paint beaten egg over the top of the scones, then bake on a greased baking tray at 220C/200C fan for 10 minutes until risen and golden. Tasty served still warm with jam and cream; In which order do you layer them on?

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food 

Vanilla infused Pears with Cardamom Chocolate Sauce (serves 4)

Peel 4 pears, keeping the stalk intact for decoration. Dissolve sugar 150g into a pan of water 1.5L by heating gently. Cut a vanilla pod in half lengthways and add to the pan. Simmer the pears for 30 minutes. Leave the pears to cool and infuse in the water overnight.

Drain the pears from the water and set aside. Next, carefully melt in a small pan a large bar of dark chocolate 100g together with single cream 100ml and 4 crushed cardamom pods. Serve the pears with a generous helping of chocolate sauce poured over them, a delectable chocolate avalanche!

Recipe adapted from Rachel Khoo's cook book The Little Paris Kitchen.

Happy cooking! x