Support your local farmer and bake these perfect pumpkin and pepper scones with matching whipped pumpkin, pepper and parmesan butter.

Hello everyone!

How exciting, I just love sharing fabulous recipes with you.  And what better way to show our amazing farmers that we care for them and are thinking of them in this very difficult time.  As a farm girl myself, now living in the city, I am all to familiar with the trials and tribulations of living on the land but our guys have been hit again and again with some really tough situations and I just want to feel like we are helping.

So let’s share the love and start using local produce.  There are so many ways we can and should be helping right now.

Here are some amazing pumpkin scones, perfect for left over pumpkin that is already cooked, or just slice off a big slice, roast, steam or microwave till tender and it’s ready to go in this quick and perfect every time recipe.

500g self raising flour or use 500g plain flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder added

160g salted butter, grated from cold to make it easier to rub in 🙂 ‘grate’ tip isn’t it lol

250ml milk or buttermilk

150g strained pumpkin

1 g or pinch of nutmeg grated

pinch salt and quarter teaspoon pepper cracked (optional)

Method

Sieve the flour in the bowl to make sure it’s light and ever so fluffy.

Now grate the butter into the flour, and then use your fingertips to get the butter through the flour nice an evenly until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  You can use your food processor for this of course.

Then add the remaining ingredients and stir together using a strong spoon.  Just mix until this comes together and then turn out onto a floured surface.

Add a bit of flour to your hands so it doesn’t stick, and then press out to a nice thick oval shape.  Dip your scone cutter into flour to make sure these don’t stick to the cutters and then press to cut through the dough.  Flour is your friend and it will always help make handling dough easier, there is nothing more stressful than dough sticking to the counter or your hands.

Place on a greased and floured baking sheet and then bake for 15-20 minutes(while these are baking you can get started on making the beautiful whipped butter) until nice and brown, these happy yellow scones are perfect served hot or cold.

Can’t wait for you to try them.

Whipped Pumpkin Pepper and Parmesan butter.

125 g salted butter, grated into the mixing bowl

30-50g pumpkin strained (optional, you can leave this out if you want a colour contrast of white with the scones)

pinch cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Whip the butter with the whisk attachment for about 15 minutes, or until very light and white and fluffy.  At first the grated butter will simply become a thick yellow paste, scrape away from the sides from time to time if your mixer is battling to get this off the sides.  Leave to whip until the butter is whiter, lighter and absolutely glorious and fluffy.  Once fluffy, fold through the remaining ingredients with a spatula and transfer to a cute little serving bowl. Refrigerate to help set or serve as it is. I use a teaspoon to get a messy ball and throw the messy ball into some snipped herbs like dill, fennel fronds or chives to bling it up just a little and make it easier to handle.

I also served mine with some shaved Prosciutto  and goats cheese.  Or try Parma ham or bacon or chorizo chopped and fried so that it’s crispy like bacon or chorizo gravel. And even feta or your favourite cheese.

 

Delicious

Chef Mel