I make scones quite often on the weekends. It’s a nice diversion from oatmeal or granola and it makes the house smell like a bakery which is as close the the heavenly ideal as I can get. This Saturday morning, I had scones on the brain and a few Asian pears from our CSA that I needed to use up. Now pears and me have a long history and to put it mildly, I hate them. Growing up we had 2 large and bountiful pear trees and either everyone in our family (but me) was snacking on them out of hand or my mom was in the kitchen baking up pear crisps like they were going out of style. We even had such an overflow of the fruit, that my dad suggested that my brother and I went around to the neighbours selling pears door to door. It was a humiliating experience.
I don’t look to kindly to pears and I wasn’t happy about receiving them in my CSA. But I hate ignoring something until it goes bad, so I decided that I could dice them up (nixing their mealy texture) and their inherent (gag-inducing) sweetness would bring only goodness to a scone, right? Indeed.
To put it gently, these scones rocked. I was a bit worried that not only was using pears, but that that I didn’t have any eggs. But I plowed through and tweaked my usual recipe with pretty spectacular results. They didn’t puff up like my usual scones, but otherwise, I couldn’t tell a difference. And the pear? It worked beautifully with the ginger and cardamom. And just my luck, we received even more Asian pears in this week’s CSA. Looks like there’s going to be another Saturday morning scone in our future!
pear & ginger vegan scone
2 c flour
3 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1/4 t ground cardamom
1/4 c Earth Balance margarine*
2 asian pears, diced
3 T diced candied ginger
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 c non-dairy milk (I used almond) + 1 T for topping
2 T raw or demerara sugar for toppingPreheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in the margarine and blend it into the flour so that it resembles oats. Stir in pears and ginger. Add the vanilla to the milk and pour into flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to combine and then knead the mixture 4 or 5 times with your hands until it comes together.
Place dough onto parchment paper and pat into a round shape. Cut into 8 triangles, like a pie and place parchment paper and scones onto a cookie sheet. Brush with remaining tablespoon of milk and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are golden. Serve warm with your favorite jam or a smear of buttery spread.
*Please note that if you do choose to make these with unsalted butter instead of Earth Balance, please throw in 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I find most vegan margarines too salty and got rid of the salt for this version.
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A wonderful weekend (or anytime) treat!
Oh yay, happy, happy day – I was holding out for this recipe. Looks amazing!
Oh yeah!! I love it when you make scones…so simple yet so delicious! I'm not a fan of pears either but I do happen to enjoy Asian pears a little bit more than other pears, for their crisp skin which yields to a softer, juicier centre, much like the MacIntosh apple. I had to laugh out loud at your story about being a kid and selling pears to the neighbours 🙂 Oh, and I finally remembered how to log into my blogger account again.
I too like asian pears more than other varieties – but for different reasons. I think asian pears are crisper and crunchier than other pears (which I too would describe as mealy).
Love the coordinating plate and table top, with an accent of jam!
I happen to love pears, but putting them in scones seems a pretty good reason to disguise them a bit.
I've never made vegan scones, but have lots of friends that would appreciate this recipe. (I will be here with my cream and butter, they'll be out running marathons).
So funny that you feel that way about pears. I grew up with an apricot tree and have similar memories about apricots. Your scones look like the perfect way to turn ugh into delicious.
Hugh has been asking for scones, and yours look so professional! Such a great fall flavor combo…
Thanks VeggieGirl, I think so too!
Tara, it is pretty close to that 🙂
Bijoux, this is just as simple and I'm glad you loved my pear story!! Still not a fan of eating pears (even the asian ones) out of hand. In scones, though, they are a-okay.
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks pears are too mealy, AnotherYarn!
Thanks Hag.
Haha, the leftoverist, not every vegan I know runs marathons…I know a few who happily gulp down fries and scones! But I'm with you on the cream and butter…and cheese, of course.
Glad I'm not the only one tainted, Lynn, with childhood fruit terrors!!
Thanks so much, Sprouted Kitchen!
Re: the cloying sweetness you find in pears – You could pair the pears with sharp cheddar cheese. Just sayin'
I'm going to have to try this recipe!
Erin, good idea but that still doesn't deal with the mealy texture. I'll stick with grapes and apples on my cheese plates 🙂
Yum. I made these yesterday morning for breakfast (with my non-vegan butter and milk, but whatever). Fantastic! I'll pull this out again on Thanksgiving for the in-laws.
These look delicious! I'm always so skeptical of vegan pastries, but since living in Berkeley's student Co-Ops where the vegans run free, I've been pleasantly surprised. I'l' be sure and give these a try soon!
I love scones and reading your blog entry reminds me how long it's been since I made some. Thanks for the inspiration.
hello there, gorgeousness. been craving scones lately, and you're just pushing me over the edge.
These look yummy! My fiances mom bombarded us with a bag full of pears (to be honest I don't like eating them too much either), so I've been trying to find ways of eating/disguising them. I just made this bread: http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2008/06/pear-bread/ and it's so good, you should try it. That is if you get sick of scones, but I don't know if that's possible.
Yaey that's awesome that you found a way that you can use (and enjoy) a fruit you hate. Making scones every weekend sounds like a lovely idea.
love scones 🙂
Those look delicious!
Have you thought about submitting an entry like this one to Brighter Planet's Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking Contest? They have a section about using local ingredients (from a farmer's market or CSA) and I think this entry would fit right in…
Check it out here: http://blog.brighterplanet.com/sustainable-cooking/
Oh Yummy Scones!
Hellcat, so glad you loved these!
Stop that skepticism, Elizabeth, these are great 🙂
Wendie, I'm glad I could inspire a future breakfast.
Celine, I think scones can definitely do that to a girl.
Jacqui, I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't a pear fan. Thanks for the link.
Thanks Gine.
Eatme, I think so too. I could definitely get used to eating scones every weekend!
Thanks Jessica.
Most def, cookietreat.
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
Thanks! I'm always looking for new scone ingredients….
j'taimee, glad I could help 🙂