Traveling is one of my favorite ways to learn about a country’s culture – through the food, the people and the arts I never leave a new place the same person as I came. This constant need for discovery and my adventurous spirit is continuously fueled by the mesmerizing places in the World I’d eventually like to discover with an ultimate goal of setting foot on all 7 continents, yes even Antarctica (solidarity is beautiful).
As a child my family didn’t have much but with the little we had my dad always utilized to get our family somewhere new. To him, moving to the United States was a chance for new beginnings and he wanted to discover every nook and cranny of this magnificent country. I’d remember packing the car wee hours in the morning – most of our luggage being coolers filled with food and he’d always pack plenty of camera equipment. Sometimes our trips would take only a few hours while others have lasted for days. Over the years we’ve driven through the forests in Yosemite, trekked the trails of Yellow Stone, visited the Lincoln memorial, marveled at the grandness of Mount Rushmore, picnicked at Central Park, pretended to be royalty at the Biltmore Estate, stood at the foot of Niagra Falls and of course stopped at Disney World to say hi to Mickey.
My father most of the time is reserved and generally quiet, his expression naturally forms into an indifferent scowl that sometimes you’d swear he was angry about something. But anytime it was time for a trip, his eyes would sparkle with enthusiasm as he would hurriedly rush us out the door “Come on! Let’s get this show on the road!” Upon arriving at our final destination he’d run out of the car with a camera in one hand while dragging me along with the other. Throughout the years, the compilation of photos of me standing in front of famous landmarks and attractions grew and as a result my traveling spirit was born.
During many of what seemed to be endless car rides, I would always get car sick, it was inevitable. If the car ride was longer than 4-5 hours it was either anxiety of small closed spaces that caused me to throw up or the fact that it’d be 95 degrees outside and my parents refused to turn on the A/C (Aiya Joy, why use A/C when you can roll down window?) The one thing that always seemed to help was citrus fruit. Weird I know but somehow it took away the puke factor.
They’d throw me in the back with a bag of oranges, a pillow, some math books and I’d sneak in a book of my choice. I’d mostly ignore the math books, build a nice “bed” and disappear into my book while endlessly shoving oranges in my face. It was glorious. Kind of like these scones. I adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart by adding a lot more zest, replacing buttermilk with yogurt and made a nice brandied honey to drizzle on top. I loved the intense burst of citrus flavor and is the perfect breakfast item for a lazy weekend.
Ingredients for Minneola Tangelo Scones: (about 20 scones)
Prep time: 15 minutes; Total Cooking Time: 45 minutes
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 8 1/2 ounces (2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 1/4 cups yogurt
- 1/4 cup finely grated Minneola tangelo zest
- 6 medium Minneola tangelos, peeled, segmented, seeded, and chopped
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- 1 oz brandy
- ¼ cup honey
(inspired from Martha Stewart’s Recipe)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 3 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add yogurt, zest, and chopped tangelos, stirring just until dough comes together (some butter should be visible).
Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead a few times to bring together. Gently pat it into 9 inch wide circle, 1 inch thick. Using a 3 ½ inch circle cutter cut as many scones as you can. Take dough scraps, reform and repeat. Flip each circle over onto a baking sheet, spacing each 2 inches apart. Cover, and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours (or overnight). Bake scones until tops are golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (If bottoms are browning too quickly, place another baking sheet underneath the first.) Transfer scones to a wire rack to let cool or eat immediately with a generous drizzle of brandied honey.
