Blueberry White Chocolate + Thyme Scones

Summer held its breath until the 13th hour. Finally, upon exhalation, the weather is sticky, languid as molasses...deliciously perfect. I'm odd to relish humidity and that spot on the small of the back which never completely dries during (and after) meandering through a non-air conditioned farm house. But I am in love with summer, even especially during her passionate fits of temper. Yesterday was particularly ethereal + lush; a spirited mix of hazy sunlight and distant reverberating thunder. My red entry door, now flushed and expanded with heat, brushes fiercely against the sisal rug. I find wicked amusement in hearing people huff and occasionally curse when, upon swift entry, they're met by an immobile rug + a pregnant door. It's also proving to be an excellent alarm system and gives me ample time to hide baked goods from prying hands. Sometimes the most exhausting element of food blogging is simply keeping people (and photobombing cats) away long enough to snap pictures.
    
My next recipe, if I can stop eating the star player, will be a raspberry something. For now, as you can see, I'm still riding the sanguine blueberry wave. Scones don't require too much baking sorcery but they are difficult to photograph. No worries, I will not bore you with more photography angst, but I hope it's okay to experiment with both light & dark backgrounds/moods. My cheeky heart inadvertently strays to the dark side, but I'm attempting to build bridges with the bright and airy.

Scones, while a breeze to conjure up, can sometimes be dry. I've found that heavy cream holds the skeleton key to tender scone-age. These scones were sublime - soft and almost biscuit-like in texture (not the stick-in-your-throat, kind of biscuit).

Since I'm soliciting the lighter things in life, I thought I'd reintroduce myself to white chocolate. In the past I have given sweet white chocolate the frozen shoulder, favouring its effete, dark counterpart. But, when balanced properly with tart-ish flavours, white chocolate can be scrumptious. This recipe utilizes plucky blueberries and hints of earthy thyme to counteract the chocolate's sweetness and, because of the chunky, already-sweet, ingredients, you only need a small amount of sugar.

If you can keep the scones around long enough, they age beautifully. Well-covered and at room temperature, these confections are even more flavourful and tender on day three. If you can't find blueberries, toss in the same amount of raspberries or blackberries...and please let me know the verdict on either!

blueberry white chocolate + thyme scones
makes about 7-8 scones

ingredients
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar (feel free to use more, but bear in mind the inherent sweetness of white chocolate)
2 sprigs of thyme, finely chopped, stems removed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1-inch cubes
4 oz good quality white chocolate, chopped 
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

garnish
1 large egg, lightly beaten

method
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. {Note: you might need two sheets as the scones are large and spread quite a bit.}

In a small bowl, lightly beat together cream and egg yolks; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and chopped thyme. Use your fingertips to rub the thyme into sugar until aromatic. Whisk in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the cold butter cubes and, using a pastry blender, work butter into dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and pebbly (butter pieces should be the size of peas and oatmeal).

Add chopped white chocolate + blueberries and gently toss into butter/flour mixture until coated. Add the cream + egg mixture and, very gently, fold wet ingredients into dry until you're left with a sticky, ragged ball. {Note: try not to overmix the dough. It should be very sticky and fussy...and difficult to work with. Your reward will be tender scones.}

Place dough in center of prepared, parchment lined, sheet. Pat into a 6 1/2 - 7-inch circle, and using a sharp knife, cut out 7-8 slices of dough. (Dough is extremely sticky so you might need a spatula to separate the wedges.) Arrange scones on sheet, allowing for at least 3-inches of spreading room between each wedge. Brush scones with beaten egg.

Bake 11-14 minutes or until scones are light golden brown and centers are set (use a toothpick to test for doneness).

Remove sheet from oven and allow scones to rest for about five minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before enjoying.