Blueberry Scones and the Baseball Moms

The very first recipe I posted on this blog was from Debbie, one of the group of friends I affectionately call the "Baseball Moms."  We bonded some 26 years ago watching ours sons play Little League and on through high school. About 14 years ago, Debbie invited a few of us on a weekend retreat to her place in the North Carolina mountains. It took me back to the giggly spend-the-night parties of my youth and this adult "girl" trip became an annual ritual.  When my husband asked me what we do, I said "NOTHING" - except sleep, eat, drink and talk until our jaws are sore.  We sleep late, drink coffee and eat a bit in our robes until noon, wander through the local shops, eat lunch out, drink a little wine or beer, eat dinner and stay up late talking.  We've shared the joys & sorrows; the ups & downs and so forth but the point is, we pause for 48 hours, escape our usual responsibilities and let our hair down. It's an essential event for me and contributes to my security and well being.

I brought along some blueberry scones to go with our lazy mornings.  They are England's version of a biscuit and are most often associated with afternoon tea but they are just as delicious with coffee.  Made with butter and a little sugar, they are less sweet than a blueberry muffin but sweeter than a traditional biscuit.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
3 tbls sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1  cup washed and dried blueberries
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Wisk dry ingredients together. Add cold butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or use clean hands.  Add blueberries. Stir into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just blended.  Mix buttermilk, egg and vanilla together. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surace and knead a few times. Pat into a 1 inch round. Wrap in plastic and chill 15 minutes. Cut into 12 wedges and bake 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.