Cream Scones and "Accidental" Jam

     I was making a batch of popsicles the other day. The Mr. had found strawberries and blueberries at the store, and "suggested" a frozen mixed fruit bar. Because of the abundance, I made up a double batch, and put half in the refrigerator while the first popsicles were freezing (2 1/2 cups mixed fruit puree and 1 cup simple syrup). The next day, after unmolding the pops, I pulled out the refrigerated mixture to start batch #2 and discovered it had turned into a sort of jam! Apparently, blueberries are high in natural pectin, and a puree with sugar (or in this case, simple syrup) will gel in the fridge without any other encouragement! I went ahead and froze some of the "jam" in my palettas molds as an experiment and they were quite tasty. The remainder I left as jam, and enjoyed it with fresh, warm scones.
     Scones are a delicate and delicious sort of biscuit, slightly sweet, sometimes made with currants or blueberries. They are in the "quick bread" family, using baking powder as a leavening agent, and they can be mixed and baked in about 20 minutes. Scones are part of a traditional English tea, served with lemon curd, jam, and thickened or "clotted" cream, and also make a very civilized breakfast or afternoon snack.
 
                           Scones
2 & 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
2 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
*optional 1/4 cup currants, dried cranberries, or blueberries

Preheat oven to 425F. If you are using a baking stone, place it in the oven first. Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender.

If you don't have a pastry blender, a fork will do. Mash the butter into the flour mixture until it is all incorporated and the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and cream. Stir wet and dry ingredients together, and add fruit if desired. The dough will be slightly sticky. Dust your workspace with flour, and turn out the dough. Dust the top with 1-2 tbsp flour, and pat the dough into a rough rectangle approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut scones into circles or squares (or triangles for that matter).

 Brush the tops with egg wash (I save 1-2 tbsp from the egg/cream mixture) and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place on a cookie sheet (or directly on the pre-heated stone) and bake until golden, 12-15 minutes. Enjoy while warm with lemon curd and jam! Makes approximately 8 scones, depending on size.