Gardener’s brunch
This is a great recipe for using up some surplus produce from the garden, such as apples, celery and tomatoes.
Ingredients
For the scones
- 225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp mustard powder
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú butter, plus extra for greasing
- 70g/2½oz mature Cheddar, grated
- 150ml/5fl oz milk, plus extra for glazing
For the cheese and cider pâté
- ½ stick celery
- ½ Braeburn apple, peeled, cored and finely sliced
- 2 tbsp good-quality still cider
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú Cheddar, finely grated
- 85g/3oz cream cheese
- 35²µ/1¼´Ç³ú gorgonzola
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- pinch chopped fresh chives
To serve
- 4 tbsp runner bean chutney
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 85g/3oz watercress
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Lightly grease a baking tray with the butter.
For the scones, place the flour, salt, baking powder and mustard powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter to the mixture and rub in with your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 55g/2oz of the cheese and stir in well.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and add the milk gradually. Combine the dry mixture with just enough milk to make a soft dough.
Lightly flour a work surface, turn out the dough and knead very lightly. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 3cm/1¼in. Use a 6cm/2½in circular cutter to cut out the scones. Lightly glaze the tops of the scones with milk. Place the scones on the prepared baking tray and scatter with the remaining cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15–20 minutes, or until well risen and golden. Leave to cool slightly and keep the oven on.
For the cheese and cider pâté, remove the strings from the celery and purée in a chopper or food processor. Put the celery purée, apple and cider in a microwavable container. Cover and cook in the microwave for 1½ minutes on high. Remove half of the mixture and thoroughly purée in a chopper or food processor. Set aside the purée and the whole mixture.
Place the Cheddar, cream cheese, gorgonzola and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds then add the chives and the celery purée. Pulse again for a few seconds. Empty the cheese mixture into a large bowl and stir in the whole celery mixture.
Divide the cheese and cider pâté between four ramekins and place on baking tray. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes. Leave to cool before serving.
Serve the scones with the pâté, chutney, cherry tomatoes and watercress.