Maple Pecan Scones-Danger! Danger!

Somehow a conversation that Philip and I were having yesterday led to a discussion about scones, which led Philip to suggest that we needed to make scones for breakfast today (the first day of my summer break-wooooo!).  I checked the pantry and didn't have any dried fruit (except raisins, and raisins-eh.).  I looked on cookinglight.com and saw a couple of things that looked interesting, especially a recipe that had pecans in it.  However, the pecan recipe made me remember that there is a recipe in my Pioneer Woman cookbook (The Pioneer Woman Cooks) by my favorite blogger on the planet, Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman, aka PW, aka P Dub) for maple pecan scones.  Shut your mouth, Ree.  I've been dying to make them since I got the cookbook a year and a half ago, and yet somehow I never got around to it.  Well, today was the day!

Actually, this recipe is my adaptation of Ree's.  It's not an exact replica.  Maple pecan scones, redux.  You see, the Haymakers do not own a cattle ranch.  More specifically, the Haymakers do not work a cattle ranch, thereby allowing us to consume copious amounts of baked goods and other caloric delights without thought.  Sooooo, a few adjustments were made.  I used some lower-fat ingredients, and cut the recipe in half (that's why there are some strange measurements).  Here's my version!

First, brew a pot of coffee.  You'll need it (for drinking and for icing-making!) later.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Chop up 2 tablespoons of pecans and put them into a hot pan, then stir frequently until toasty and fragrant.  Don't burn them!



Next, measure 3/4 cup of white whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour into a bowl.  Do you know how to measure flour?  Lightly spoon the flour into your measure or scoop the flour, then sweep the top with the flat edge of a knife.  Don't pack the flour into the cup or you'll change the measurement.  I actually prefer to weigh flour for baked goods, but there was no suggested weight here.  Now, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Stir it up!



Okay, here's where we get down to business.  Cut a stick of Land O'Lakes light butter into small cubes (yes, I said a stick.  A whole stick).  Put the butter into the flour and work it in with your fingertips, until there are no chunks of butter left and the mixture resembles wet sand.  *Note* scones are like sweet biscuits!  Yea! * Stir in the pecans, then mix together 2 tablespoons of beaten egg and  1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of fat-free buttermilk.  Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and use a fork to stir until the dough comes together and no dry bits remain in the bottom of your bowl.



Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (I use a glass cutting board).  Turn it over onto itself 4-5 times until you have a soft but not stick dough.  Press out into a 1-inch thick circle, then cut into 8 triangles.  Placed onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat or sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops just begin to brown.



While the scones are in the oven, make the icing.  Weigh 8 ounces of powdered sugar, or measure 2 cups.  Whisk to remove lumps.  Pour in 2 tablespoons of melted (light) butter, 2 tablespoons of milk, a splash of coffee, 1 teaspoon of maple extract, and a pinch of salt.  Whisk until a thinnish icing forms.  When the scones come out of the oven, generously drizzle them with icing, then allow the icing to set.  Waiting gave us time to cook up a little bacon in the microwave and mix up our coffee.




Okay, let me say....these are to die for.  They are so, so good.  I entered the recipe into the recipe calculator at sparkpeople.com, and even with my healthy upgrades, these scones have 292 calories apiece (and these are actually half the size that the original recipe called for)!  Needless to say, they are dessert for breakfast-or for dessert, whatever the case may be, but dessert nonetheless.  Totally dangerous (hence the blog title) but totally worth an occasional risk!  Make them!

Fish Tacos-No, Really, They're Good!

For some reason, the mention of fish tacos seems to evoke two reactions from people who have never heard of or tried them.  Either they (1) are interested and intrigued; or (2) are completely horrified.  I am not sure what the terrifying thing about fish tacos is; maybe people have some sort of Taco Bell image in their head of ground-up fish cooked with taco seasoning from a packet and served in a fried shell. Not so! What makes a fish taco a taco is the fact that it's fish served on a tortilla. The seasonings and toppings are up to you.

I was intrigued at first; Philip, on the other hand, thought they sounded terrible the first time that I told him they were on the menu, six or seven years ago.  I figured, what have we got to lose?  We like fish, we like tacos, the worst that can happen is that we don't like them and I never make them again.  That did not happen.  We loved them, and after a couple of variations I found a Tyler Florence recipe on FoodNetwork.com that I have reworked to make it a little more convenient and healthy.  I have made this recipe so many times I could do it in my sleep.  And to answer your question-yes, they're good!

Start by putting a baking stone or sheet into your oven and preheating to 450 degrees.



Now, make the sauce.  About 1/4 cup of mayo (I like the olive oil kind), 1/4 cup sour cream, juice of 1/2 lime (I just love my citrus press!), and about 3/4 teaspoon of chipotle chile powder.  Alternately, you could chop up a chipotle pepper and throw that in, but the powder gives the same flavor and is easy to keep in a jar in the pantry.  You can add more if you like more heat.  Taste it and adjust amounts as needed.



Chop up some cabbage pretty finely.  I bought red cabbage because I wanted the color, but I often make fish tacos as a way to use up green cabbage or Napa cabbage left over from other recipes.  You could also use slaw mix.  I didn't take a picture of this, but after chopping the cabbage, I rinsed it in a strainer and left it in the sink to drain while I worked on the fish.



You'll need 1 piece of fish per person.  This is tilapia...inexpensive and easy to find.  You could use any mild-tasting white fish.  Cut each fillet into 4 pieces.  Salt and pepper both sides.



Set up the dredging station.  You need flour, panko (Japanese) bread crumbs, and an egg beaten with a little milk (two if you're making a lot).



Dip each piece of fish on both sides first into flour, then egg, then panko, being sure to coat each side completely.  After I did this I set the pieces aside on the cutting board until I finished.



This is my oil mister.  It's a Misto and I got it at Marshall's for $7.99.  Pampered Chef sells one as well.  A mister will allow you to lightly spray your food with oil, getting a crispy texture and the flavor of the oil without too much fat and without the chemical propellants in store-bought varieties.  If you don't have one, go ahead and use Pam.  Then go buy a mister.  They're the best!  Put the fish on the preheated stone or baking sheet and mist the tops lightly with oil.  Bake for 6-7 minutes, turn, mist again, and bake for another 6-7 minutes.



While the fish is baking, chop some cilantro* (I washed my cutting board!), then heat the corn tortillas.  You could use flour, but I think that corn is more traditional, and you could use a pan or a griddle, but I just fire up the burner and throw 'em on!  Heat for about 30 seconds, turn, 30 seconds more, and wrap in foil.  This one got a little, um, crispy.  I'm okay with that, though.  *I know a lot of people don't like cilantro!  Some people think it tastes like soap or bleach.  For others, it's an acquired taste.  I was one of those.  I used to hate it, now I love it.  If you hate it, though, don't sweat it.  Just leave it off!


Okay, now for assembly.  I use two tortillas per taco (if I'm really watching calories, I'll use one, but corn tortillas are very low in fat and calories-much better than flour!).  Spread on a little sauce, then put two pieces of fish per taco.  While it's not traditional, I use a little cheese.  This is Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar, and it's fantastic.  Next, the cabbage, and finally, the cilantro.  If you have salsa, you can throw on some of that, too.  I usually do, but I didn't tonight.  I served this with black beans and Mexican rice.  Great dinner!