June is the peak season for strawberries in the Hamptons.  When I was a kid growing up on North Sea Farms, I used to go strawberry picking with my siblings. We’d go out into the strawberry patches and come back to the farm stand with bundles of fresh strawberries. We usually made it out of the patches with lots of berries – but of course, if I found a really giant one or a double-headed one, I had to eat it right off the vine.
 
After being out in the strawberry patch for a little while, I’d come back to the farm stand with red under my nails and on my lips.

I was inspired by strawberry season this year, so I was really excited to put them to use in a scone. I first learned how to make scones as a student in England. Traditionally, English scones are made with raisins, and they’re less moist and rich than their American counterparts. This is because the English version is usually made with milk, and then eaten with condiments like clotted cream and jam.  Here in the States, we tend to eat on the run, so we like to eat scones as they are, without any condiments, which is why I use cream in this recipe.

What you’ll need:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups quartered fresh strawberries, stemmed and washed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (remove 1 Tablespoon for brushing on the tops)
1/4 cup raw sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Toss ingredients with a rubber spatula.

3. Add fresh strawberries and toss to coat evenly with flour mixture.

4. Combine 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream with vanilla. Pour mixture evenly over flour mixture and mix until dough is evenly moist, trying not to crush the strawberries.

5. Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop or two large tablespoons, scoop out evenly onto prepared pans.

6. Brush the tops with remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and sprinkle raw sugar evenly over the tops.

7. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly firm in the middle when pressed with your finger.

8. Remove from oven and cool on the sheet pans for 15 minutes before eating. The strawberries get too hot and can burn you if you try to eat them right from the oven.

Yield: Makes 12 scones.