Savour a tower of love featuring scrumptious gourmet scones
Celebrate Valentine's Day with a high tea offering a variety of gourmet scones made by a five-star chef
One of my rituals, together with a foodie friend and brilliant baker, is to scout cafes in Gauteng in search of the perfect scone. According to my expert friend, nothing quite matches her recipe for the most delicious scones. I can vouch for that. Her rendition of the British classic is melt-in-the-mouth, moreish and delicious.
For scone aficionados so many places get something so simple so wrong. First, freshness. Scones MUST be eaten on the day they are made and heating them in the microwave will not cut the mustard.
The size of scones matters. The towering scone may look appetising but leave an unpleasant taste of bicarb on the palate. Getting them that size takes too much raising agent. Many establishments also cut corners by using inferior vegetable fat instead of real butter.
During my search for the best scone, I discovered a top Cape Town hotel is serving high quality scones, 12 of them in celebration of Valentine's month. On offer is a mouth-watering Tea for Two which comes with a promise that the British classic scone has been perfected by the five-star Table Bay hotel's executive chef Lindsay Venn, who is giving the humble scone a gourmet makeover. They come with a trio of different and interesting toppings — sweet, savoury and vegan options.
From Sunday to the end of the month of love, couples can count on some of the best scones while savouring the picturesque views from the hotel and swoon over 12 different scones served with a choice of some of the finest teas. It promises to be a scone fiesta, kicking off with a classic queen scone served with crème fraîche, homemade strawberry preserve and mature cheddar cheese. Then sample a raspberry matcha scone dipped in white chocolate, or a cinnamon, pecan and caramel pinwheel scone with salted caramel.
Lovers of something savoury won't feel left out as there is a selection of herb and pepper scones topped with smoked snoek and Camembert cheese, tomato chilli jam or roasted maple pear with blue cheese and walnut crumble. Vegan options include grilled baby marrow with hummus, balsamic roast red onion, or exotic mushroom with deep fried kale and buchu smoked tofu with a ginger soy glaze.
Chef Venn shares some of her scone secrets:
The perfect scone should be freshly baked, using real butter for a flaky and flavourful scone and the correct amount of raising agent.
My secret to a perfect scone is a little tap on top before putting them in the oven so they rise straight.
Scones are a favourite in my family and many of my ideas come from our tastings at home.
How do I elevate the humble scone to gourmet levels? I make the preserves myself and play around with flavours to find the very best for our guests.
My favourite accompaniment to scones is a steaming hot cup of vanilla-honey Ceylon tea.
TEA FOR TWO SCONE FIESTA, TABLE BAY HOTEL, CAPE TOWN
When: From Sunday, February 11 to February 29. Couples can enjoy a selection of 12 scones between 2.30pm and 5pm daily.
Cost: R250 per person
Bookings: miscka.arendse@suninternational.com or (021) 406 5988.