By my count I've been sick for going on 7 days. Seven days of soar, swollen, aching glands. Seven days of coughing, sneezing, and feeling rough.
*ugh*
Someone come and take this away completely, okay?
Cori, in her loving efforts to cheer me up and keep me alive, made delightful little treats the other night. Delightful little scones with sweet preserves, which we later paired with tea. I'm such a lucky girl.
Currently, Cori is on a death bed of her own with the same sickness. Two girls + one relationship = shared illnesses. Um... I'm sorry, honey.
She began with cold butter, cut into the most adorable little cubes ever. Chilly butter is absolutely essential here, as it is in any biscuit recipe. Chill your butt(er).
Next, the dry ingredients were combined in a bowl, then made into a well for the eggs. I *insisted* on taking action shots of the pour (clearly sickness won't ever prevent me from being artsy). See blow.
After rolling the dough into a long snake-like thing, she cut it with a sharp knife into the ten pieces. It was soft, supple, and everything the biscuit dough should be.
She made little wells in the middle of each cake with her thumb. Keeping these rustic adds to their charm. And I'm also quite sure it's what helped me out of my despair that is the common cold.
Cori filled each well with the raspberry preserves. I tried to keep the camera still while holding in coughs. Not. Easy.
Next came the difficult part, which I was no help with at all: forming the dough around the preserves. They ended up looking like little volcanoes, which later baked up and out into rustic little biscuits. Adorable x 1000.
The end result: Delicious raspberry-filled little cake wonders. Warm, flaky, crumbly, and delicious. Cori gets major points for baking while I'm sick, but wins the whole game for being patient while I document the endeavor. It's the least a pathetic invalid like me can do.
Raspberry Jelly Rock Cakes
From The Redwall Cookbook, by Brian Jacques
1 1/4 cups flour, plus additional for rolling the dough
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 eggs, lightly beaten
raspberry preserves or jam
*preheat oven to 400 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper*
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and blend with a pastry blender until it resembles course meal (about the size of peas). Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the center, then add the eggs and mix well to form a stiff dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and form into a roll, approximately 12 inches long. Cut the dough into ten pieces with a sharp kitchen knife. Shape each piece into a ball and place them well apart on your baking sheet.
3. Use your thumb to make an indentation/well in the center of each dough ball. Fill with a bit of your preserves/jam. Pinch the dough closed over the jam and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
6. Cool the cakes on a wire rack and eat them while fresh, preferably on the same day.