Mike and I traveled to England in 2007, where we had great fun traipsing through Bath, York, Keswick, Chipping Campden, and London in the rain.  Locals apologized to us for the weather, but I loved it, the gray skies and drizzles that turned into sudden downpours.  I’d been waiting to visit the UK since I was fifteen and read Wuthering Heights, and it definitely delivered.  I spent most of the drive (yes, we drove around England, in a mini-van we nicknamed Silver Sally) from York to the Lake District scanning the moors, keeping an eye out for Heathcliff, just in case.

As a tea drinker and avid dessert fan, I was in heaven.  If the Brits know anything, they know tea, and they’ve developed all manner of treats to accompany their varied brews.  In a charming tea shop in York, we had our first traditional British scones, studded with currants, topped with clotted cream so thick it looked like whipped butter and tart strawberry jam.  The recipe below is far more American than English, but it took me back to that little tea shop on that gray afternoon.  Now, if only I had some clotted cream…

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• About ¼ cup strawberry jam

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter.

Process until the mixture resembles coarse, crumbly meal.

Turn into a medium-sized bowl and stir in heavy cream, a little at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Knead very briefly, just a few times, then turn out onto a floured surface.

Roll dough into a 10-inch circle and cut with a 2-inch cookie cutter in the shape of your choice.

Using your half-teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indentation in the center of each scone.

Fill indentation with about ¼ to ½ teaspoon strawberry jam.

Bake 18-20 minutes, until edges are golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack; drizzle with powdered sugar icing or slather with clotted cream if desired.