3-03-2024 4:48am

Philosophizing About Food With Francine: Cranberry Orange Scones!

Lesley Misko Editor

by Francine Black

In William Shakespeare’s really long play, Richard III, that hapless unhorsed king, watches his army desert him as the sword wielding Sir Richmond approaches him seated atop a massive destrier!

It’s at that moment he makes his final famous cry, “a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” Sadly no horse appears and he meets his Waterloo (mixed metaphor?) before Richmond (and his sword) who then becomes England’s King Henry VII!

Imagine, if you will, if Richard’s cry had been, “a scone, a scone, my kingdom for a scone!” Can you picture the two armies sending up the cry, “Aah, jolly good, mates, it’s time for tea”!

Everyone dismounts (except for Richard who is already down), and campfires are set with kettles aboil and out come the scones they had stashed in their saddle bags. Everyone settles down, doffs their armor and swords, and has a good chat while gulping hot tea and licking delicious scone crumbs from their lips.Sadly, that is not how it happened, but how much nicer it could have been!

Yes, scones are an English or Irish or Scots creation with each culture laying solid claim to them. We enjoy them worldwide now, sometimes as plain rounds with clotted cream (available at Wegman's) and strawberry jam or in wedges with our favorite fruit and spice enhancements. No respectable tea shop is without them and they’re probably the first confection to be sold out.

You must give them a try with tea, dear friends!

While scones made from scratch are delicious, King Arthur Baking Company sells a variety of tasty scone mixes that make the path to afternoon tea just a little bit easier. Click here to check them out.

If you feel ambitious, here is a Food Network recipe to make the scones from scratch.

[Editor's Note-- High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food. ]