The fancier it is, the harder it looks

When we have dinner with other people, my main goal is to impress them with my culinary prowess.

The main problem is, when people come to our house, Chris usually (almost always) cooks.  Because he is a REALLY good cook.  WAY better than me. 

So, I have to showcase my talents in any way I can, and mostly that is through my desserts.

I love to bake, and I love sweet treats, so its pretty much a match made in heaven.  Me + desserts= Love.

In case I haven't made that abundantly clear in the past, baking is seriously one of my favorite things.

I love to swoop in at the end of the night with a delicious and fancy looking dessert and impress the pants off everyone.

One of my go-to desserts is my favorite.  It looks complicated and yet it is soooo easy.  It is great for summer or winter, and it travels really well- so if you are going to someone else's house for dinner, this is a great thing to take along.

It's homemade scones with a berry reduction.

Sounds fancy huh?

Yeah, that is why it is impressive.

Here is the step by step guide to looking fancy but barely trying...

First you make the scones.  You can make these well in advance of dinner, and just pop them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.  If you are taking them to someone else's house, just take them in a small baking dish and bake them at their house: hot scones= the best kind of scones.

Old Fashioned Scones:

• 1 3/4 C. Flour
• 4 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 C. Sugar
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1/2 C. Nonfat Milk
• 1/4 C. Fat Free Sour cream
• Egg Wash
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. Milk 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Sift the dry ingredients, then cut in butter. 

I got this brand new sifter at a garage sale for $0.25!!

Add wet ingredients and mix together, don't overwork the dough, it could be a bit wet.  

With floured hands, knead the dough and form into 2 domes.

 

Cut into 4's or 6's and brush with egg wash mixture. 

 Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until they fluff up and get golden brown.

Berry Reduction: 

• 1/2 C. Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Cornstarch
• 1/2 C. Water
• 1-2 C. fresh fruit (or frozen berries will work too)
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries 
• Strawberries
• 1 tsp. Vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon/Nutmeg (optional)

In sauce pan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  

Boil for a 2-5 minutes, then reduce to medium low heat and let the sauce thicken (roughly 10 minutes). The berries should reduce almost completely into the sauce.

 Then turn the heat off and let the reduction rest.  It will thicken a bit more when its off the heat.  Right before you serve it, turn it on low to warm it up and liquefy it a bit.

Whipping Cream: 

• Heavy whipping cream
• Vanilla
• Sugar

I totally wing my whipping cream every time.  I throw some whipping cream in a bowl, a dash of vanilla and shake in some sugar.  I would say, don't add too much sugar, since this has a sweet sauce already.

I make the whipping cream pretty stiff, as I don't like melty/runny whipping cream.  I also would not recommend substituting whipped cream that comes out of a can.... because that is just gross.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to have dessert, pop the scones in the oven, turn the sauce on low and whip up the whipped cream.

Serve as soon as the scones come out of the oven.  The sauce and scones may melt the whipped cream a bit, but trust me, you will be eating it so fast, it won't matter.

Enjoy!

Sorry for no "finished product" picture.....pregnant ladies eat their dessert, not photograph it.