Red beet, apple and pistachio scones

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The recipe started with a batch of small red beets freshly harvested and promptly roasted. It went on with an apple too large to eat all as my breakfast. En route, it picked up some fresh dill and to complete the party, it invited pistachios to join: what a success!
The scones have a kind of rough beauty that comes across in the photo and that I find quite attractive. I like that the color is not uniform, but somewhat marbled. Above all, I like how the scones taste.

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The recipe started with a batch of small red beets freshly harvested and promptly roasted.

The Gourmandize Team

  • 4
  • Easy
  • 15 mins
  • 15 mins
  • Average budget

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour + 2 tablespoons cornmeal + enough all-purpose flour to make 1 cup OR 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ultra-fine or granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup grated roasted red beet (use the medium side of your grater)
  • 1/4 cup grated apple (use the extra-coarse side of your grater)
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
  • 1/2 cup [homemade] kefir or buttermilk or plain yogurt (low-fat or non-fat)
  • 1/4 cup roasted and lightly salted pistachios, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

How to roast beets (must be made ahead)
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Rinse and scrub well beets, then wrap each in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until easily pierced with a knife. Alternatively, place clean beets in a baking pan or dish, add 1/4 inch of water to the pan and cover tightly with foil or dish's lid, then proceed as with the other method. Let beets cool until easy to handle, then slip off the skin.

Step 2

How to make the scones
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle flour over the surface.

Step 3

Grate red beet and apple. Measure ingredients number 2 through 8 and put into the food processor fitted with steel blade. Cut butter into pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse a few times for several seconds until the flour mix resembles coarse meal. Due to the red beet, it will be pink.

Step 4

Pour dry ingredients into a bowl, add apple and dill. Add kefir (or buttermilk or yogurt) to the drier mix. Stir with a spatula a couple of times, then add the pistachios. Stir briefly until ingredients are just combined.

Step 5

Turn dough onto the lined sheet and with your hands shape it into a 1/2-inch thick square. With a bench scrape, cut into four lengthwise and then crosswise to get 16 small squares. With the help of the bench scrape, separate the pieces, so that they are at least one inch apart. If the corner pieces are much smaller than the rest, join them, so you'll end up with 14-15 scones of comparable size.

Step 6

Bake for 15 minutes, then check the bottom of one scone: if it is golden brown, they are ready, otherwise, bake for another two minutes and check again. When ready, move them onto a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

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Once cooled completely, the scones can be frozen. When you want to serve them, put them straight in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes.

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