A Dilly of a Cheese Scone

I love scones. In fact scones might be my favourite baked good, and I don't make them nearly enough. I had some leftover dill from the orzo salad with chickpeas, dill and lemon and didn't want to waste any of the precious herb, so I made these. The original recipe uses all purpose flour (instead of whole wheat), heavy cream (instead of milk), Jarslberg cheese (instead of aged cheddar), as well as some other things I changed. I was kind of scared about how these would turn out because I changed so many things but they were really amazing. I often find whole wheat baked goods to taste distinctly whole wheat-y but these ones didn't. The dill and cheddar were the perfect combination, and I loved the crisp outsides. The only bad thing was that the dough was very wet and sticky. I tried patting the dough out to cut the scones and was not too successful with this (hence the weirdly shaped scones you see pictured) - so if your dough turns out wet like mine did I would recommend making these drop scone style! Which is much easier anyway.

My finals are next week and I can't wait to be done! More time for baking. ;) Maybe some elaborate cakes? Pastries? Chocolate babka?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cheddar and Black Pepper Scones
Apple Cheddar Scones
Cinnamon Apple Scones
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

A Dilly of a Cheese Scone
Adapted from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

Makes 12 scones

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and chilled
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) grated aged cheddar
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk

1. Position the racks in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 400F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 5 times, then process for 8 seconds. Add the cheese and dill, pulsing twice to blend. Empty into a large mixing bowl.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 3/4 cup milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Using a rubber spatula, push the crumb mixture into the well, working your way around the bowl to form a rough dough. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough three or four times in the bowl.

4. If your dough is really wet and sticky as mine was, you can make these drop scone style. If you think that you can pat your dough out and cut it into pieces, then put dough on a lightly floured work surface. Shape dough into a rectangle or square (or circle) about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 12 pieces. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. If using two baking sheets as I did, halfway through baking rotate the baking sheets. Remove from the oven and transfer scones to a cooling rack.

Cheddar & Dill Beer Bread Rolls

These cheddar & dill beer bread rolls have been on my list of things to make for a while and I'm sad that it took me so long to make them! Because they are really really good. When they first come out of the oven, they have a really strong beer taste, but once they cool it mellows out. These are great for a snack or with a meal and are really easy to make. If I had beer in my fridge all the time then I know I'd make these more often.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
Maple Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Garlic Rolls

Cheddar & Dill Beer Bread Rolls
Adapted from Tinned Tomatoes

I used two 6 cup muffin tins this time but next time I might try these as drop style biscuits/rolls.

Makes 12

3 cups whole wheat flour (390 g)
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp dried dill
1 cup mature cheddar, finely grated
325 ml beer/lager

Heat oven to 375F. Sift the flour into a large bowl and then add the sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar. Gradually pour in the beer and mix until just combined, do not over mix. The mixture will be quite thick and stretchy. (Ashley note: At this point it was pretty hard to mix but I was able to get it together.)

Divide the mixture into a 12 hole muffin tray and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. The outside should be crispy and a toothpick should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes before moving them onto a wire rack.

You can also divide the mixture into a large, 6 muffin tin or a loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes.

French Barley Salad

I was flipping through Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special and came across this recipe for French barley salad. It had lemon and dill (I really should use dill more often) in the dressing so I thought alright that sounds like it could be good. And oh man was it good. This has fast become one of my favourite recipes that I've come across in any cookbook. Actually this cookbook could possibly be one of my new favourites, but I haven't made enough from it yet to be sure. The tofu and beet salad was a good start as my first recipe tried from Daily Special though so I think this cookbook has great potential!

I love this salad because it has so much good stuff in it and is so very tasty. The next time I make it, I'd like to try and cut back a bit on the oil though. I love that it uses barley, which I haven't had in so long but now that I'm reminded of its delicious existence, will be eating more often. There's a good vairety of veggies in here too with green beans, red peppers, carrots and mushrooms. The mushrooms are marinated in the dressing and turn out so yummy. And there are walnuts (rich in omega-3s! And they have other wonderful health benefits that I can't remember right now because I'm tired and would have to go find the magazine I read it in - alright fine I'm going to find the magazine now. Omega-3s help protect against depression, heart disease and Alzheimer's. They also have something in them that helps "inhibit the absorption of cholesterol".) The only downside to this salad is that it's best eaten the day it's made, unless you keep the green beans and walnuts separate. But then the marinated mushrooms start to become incredibly mushy as the days go on.

In conclusion, this is a wonderful salad that I highly suggest you all try. I know I'll be making it many times in the future. It's substantial enough to eat for a meal by itself, but it also makes a great side dish salad.

French Barley Salad
(Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special)

1/2 cup raw barley*
2 cups water

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard**
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (1 1/2 tsp dried or 2 tsp freeze dried)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup halved or quartered mushrooms***
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup cut green beans, trimmed and halved
1 cup thinly sliced red or yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Using a strainer, rinse the barley and drain. In a small heavy skillet on low heat, roast the barley until fragrant and beginning to brown. Place the barley and water in a small saucepan, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat until most of the water has been absorbed and the barley is soft, about 40 minutes.

While the barley cooks, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. In a separated bowl, pour half of the dressing over th emushrooms and set aside. Blanch the carrots in boiling water for baout 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large serving bowl. Blanch the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Stir the bell peppers and parsley and marinated mushrooms into the bowl of carrots.

When the barley is tender, drain it in a colander. Add the drained barley and the remaining dressing to the serving bowl and mix well. Allow the sald to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, gently toss the green beans and walnuts into the salad.

*The recipe calls for pearl barley but I used pot and it was fine. I would also try using a different grain/seed, such as amaranth, quinoa, millet, etc.
**I plan to add more mustard next time since I love Dijon mustard, and the taste isn't even noticeable in the dressing in this amount.
***The mushrooms I used were big, about 1 oz each, so I cut them into 8.

Notes: To make the recipe healthier, try using less oil. Also, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet or oven instead of in a skillet with butter. This recipe doubles very well.