Did anyone notice Peter Gordon's Cheese Scone recipe in last weekend's NZ Herald Bite Magazine?

[www.bite.co.nz]

I do like Peter Gordon's recipes, but I thought it very unusual in that -

Method No. 3 in his recipe (above) gives instructions for mixing the buttermilk into the flour mixture and 'be careful not to overwork it'.

Method No. 4 says to mix the cheeses together and add to the dough. (no mention of mixing it in - but naturally you would!)

Method No. 5 instructs on the rolling and cutting of the scone dough.

Peter says in part of his recipe pre-amble -

"if adding cheese, chopped dates, currants or goji berries, add once the flour has been almost fully mixed in".

I always mix grated cheese into the flour before I add the liquid measurements. To my way of thinking it would have a negative effect on the scone dough if I were to add the cheeses at the 'almost fully mixed' scone dough stage because at that stage it would take a fair amount of over-mixing to get the cheese fully dispersed throughout the dough.

I know we all have our various ways of making scone dough, but I think the less we need to mix it the better and therefore mixing the cheese through the dry ingredients before the liquid goes in lessens the mixing process. (Or have I mis-interpreted Peter's recipe?)

Interested to know what do others normally do when adding dried fruit or cheese etc.?
Regards,
Dawn.

I agree with you Dawn, I would always mix the cheese in before I add the wet ingredients.
Also I am surprised at 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder to the 2 cups (ish) of flour - wouldn't that much baking powder create quite a metallic taste?

I always add the dates/cheese etc for my scones to the dry ingredients. I use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder to each cup of flour although I have seen an Allyson Gofton recipe that uses 2 tsp baking power per cup of flour. I haven’t tried her recipe though.

You are right Helen - I hadn't even noticed the flour measurement - 270g flour doesn't equal 2 cups flour (I think I'm right). I wouldn't add any more than 3 teaspoons of baking powder (if that) to 270g flour. With apologies to Peter, (and delete this if you wish Helen) but I don't think his scones look like light and fluffy cheese scones, but maybe they are all in the eating and not the look?
Regards,
Dawn.

Peter Gordon hasn't produced a single recipe I use yet, though I have tried some.

I agree! I like his writing (in his books, not his Bite column) but I don't enjoy his fusion flavour combinations, and I think his recipes need good editing as often the quantities, as in this scone dough, are obviously wrong.

I know he is a great chef and seems like a lovely person but I too find his fusion flavour combinations a bit confusing.

I've never liked anything of his I've tried either - not the fusion aspect so much, they just weren't tasty and were often a lot of work too.

I have several of his books, and to be honest I don't cook from them, the few times I've tried, the recipe (followed faithfully) hasn't worked out. There often seem to be steps missed out.
That said I've eaten in his restaurants and the food was absolutely gorgeous!

I have his 'Vegetables: the new food heroes' (2006) and have made quite a few of the recipes - most have turned out really well. Favourites include his curried pumpkin and swede soup (first swede recipe I've really enjoyed!) okra, carrot, harissa and sweet potato stew (best okra recipe I've found to date) his potato, celeriac and leek gratin, and his moussaka. But I agree that there are some odd combinations I haven't felt inclined to try, and a couple of recipes that haven't worked.