(Dolen Perkins-Valdez, hardback). From the title you might think this is a book about the s-x word. It’s not. By a long shot. But the story, set in about 1852, is about a black slave woman, and her somewhat misguided “love” for her master. About the children she bore him, under the eagle eye of the master’s wife. But it’s all tied together with a yearly journey made to a place called Tawawa House, a rural inn of sorts in southern Ohio (a free State), that for some years allowed white slave owners to stay at the resort in rustic cottages with their black slaves, as couples. This place existed, according to the author’s afterword, and finally closed because some of the regulars (white couples who stayed in the main house) didn’t fancy this concubine business going on out in the woods. It’s about Lizzie’s relationships with the other slave women, about their desire to run to safety through the local underground, about them secretly meeting some free blacks, finding out more about abolition, and about the hardships all these black mistresses endured, and how little their lives were valued. A real stunning book. (I was sent this book as a perk from Harper Collins – because I had mentioned The Help. No strings attached – I could choose to mention this book, or not, here on my blog. I’m glad to because it’s a very good read.)
(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle, an excellent read); 
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition, eh); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition, good book); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition, very good read)
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; 
(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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It was time, again, for me to bake something for my DH(dear husband)’s Bible study group. I flipped through the options and came upon this one, which was very simple. That’s what I needed, as I was short on time. And I had one big Braeburn apple waiting to be utilized in something. I was supposed to use a Granny Smith, but I didn’t have one. Braeburn would have to do! There was only one problem. The recipe was mostly in metric (milliliters and grams). I managed, primarily because I have a kitchen scale that will convert the two. Good thing since I was rushing.
But for you, my friends, I’ve made it easy. I went to a website and did all the conversions for you, so you needn’t worry about having a special scale to compute the measurements.
As for the scone, it was very nice. A drier kind of scone, but since this is from a European blogger, she likely likes a drier type recipe. I tend to prefer a more tender crumb but that’s just my personal preference. Don’t misunderstand – it was delicious. I liked it. And I liked that I just plopped it onto a large baking tray (Silpat lined) and scored the top. Didn’t have to pat it out and cut rounds. The apple contained within the dough (which is mushed into it after it’s mixed up in the food processor – see, I told you it was easy) gave it a nice moistness. The fellows nearly ate the whole thing, but we had enough for breakfast instead of toast. I’d make this again just because it’s so very easy.
The recipe came from a blog I read regularly – Buerre et pain – and she got it from Morning Bakes, a breakfast baking cookbook by Linda Collister. I did have to make another adjustment – I didn’t have any whole wheat flour, so substituted additional all-purpose. I’ve altered the recipe for that, but you can substitute about ½ cup of the whole wheat if you’d like. And I’ve included just a tad more butter in the mixture than was called for in the original. Once the round is patted out, you sprinkle the top with some demerara sugar – I used turbinado. That gave each wedge a nice little crunch. I liked that part. I’ll make this again! You can also split a wedge and toast it, although the scone is very crumbly – even more so the second day.
Apple Buttermilk Scone Round
Recipe By: Linda Collister’s Morning Bakes, via Buerre et pain blog
Serving Size: 8
1 large apple — Granny Smith preferably
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour — plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon soda
1/3 cup sugar — plus extra for sprinkling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter — chilled and diced [I increased this amount slightly]
1/2 cup buttermilk — plus 4 teaspoons, and extra for brushing [converting this quantity from ml to cups doesn't come out as an easy fluid measure]
1. Peel, core and coarsely chop the apple into 1/3 inch chunks. Mix the flours, soda and sugar in a food processor. Add the chilled cubes of butter and process until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. With the machine running, add the buttermilk through the feed tube to make a soft but not sticky dough. [My dough mound was rather sticky.]
2. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in the apple chunks to form coarse and bumpy dough. Shape into a ball and put in the middle of the prepared baking sheet. With floured fingers, pat into a 9-inch round. Brush lightly with buttermilk or milk to glaze, then sprinkle with a little demerara sugar to give a crunchy surface. Using a sharp knife, score the round into 8 wedges. Bake in a preheated oven at 400° F. for about 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and firm to the touch.
3. Cool on a wire rack. Eat warm, immediately or within 24 hours. The scones are also good split and toasted. When thoroughly cooled, they can be wrapped then frozen for up to one month.
COOK’S NOTES: Don’t overcook this as it will get too dry. Original recipe called for some whole wheat flour – if you choose to use it, substitute about 1/2 cup whole wheat for 1/2 cup all-purpose white. You can chop the apples into smaller dice if you’d like. The dough is kind of lumpy, bumpy. And fyi, here is the original metric ingredient list: 1 large apple, 200 g all-purpose flour, 80 g whole wheat flour, 1 t soda, 75 g sugar, 75 g unsalted butter, 140 ml buttermilk, with extra sugar and buttermilk for the top.
Per Serving: 227 Calories; 6g Fat (24.9% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 18mg Sodium.
printer-friendly pdf recipe
Escali Digital Scales
said on May 28th, 2008:
Isn’t it funny how Americans use some form of measurement and everyone else in the world uses metric! This recipe looks delicious. My spouse is in school right now – so I try to make food that is special as often as possible. Thanks for the great recipe. I’m going to try it tomorrow!