More Pasta, and a Scone

 Lasagna

Because we love street tacos, and because we live in LA, Tuesday's are often reserved for our version of Taco Night. Last night however, we went a different route. Since I'm on a bit of a pasta kick I thought I would make a lasagna with my new, and amazing, no stick pasta recipe. I went with a simple sauce (tomatoes, garlic, red pepper, olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper) and fresh mozzarella for the layering.  Generally, homemaking lasagna is an epic affair, with pasta sheets strewn about the kitchen. And while it did take a while to mix, knead, rest, roll, cut, pre-cook and prep the pasta, it was easily manageable on the 4 sq. ft of counter space I had. The result? Nearly perfect. great flavor, but more sauce next time. Did I tell you how much I love this pasta? We paired this with a cabbage and parsley salad with a warm pancetta and balsamic dressing and, of course, wine.

Lemon-Thyme Scones

I have to start by saying, generally, I hate scones. They are dense and dry, "alright" at best.  Considering how low cost and minimally involved they are, its pretty obvious why they are mass-produced in many commercial kitchens. But, done correctly they are light and moist, and a great vehicle for nearly endless possibilities of flavor combinations, from sweet to savory. And hey, I'm a pastry chef, I should be able to make a decent scone don't you think?  I made these in about half an hour from start to finish. And they were, super simple, and fantastic! They are so light, not even a bit dry! The only problem is, you could easily consume far too many in a mater of a few minutes. The trick is in the technique.
It's so simple, I don't understand how all scones aren't this way. This is easily one of the best scones I've ever had.
To make:
2 cups all purpose (I ran out of AP and had to use a bit of cake flour, which shouldn't hurt it, since cake flour is low in gluten, and you do not want gluten development for your extra light scones)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
whatever flavoring you want. I did thyme (maybe 1/4 cup chopped) with lemon zest-from two lemons, and a bunch (a tablespoon or two) of fresh black pepper.
All above Mixed. *
Then, and here's the key. Place cubed butter (70 grams, or 5Tbsp) that you've pre-cubed and place in the fridge, COLD into the flour and mix (in stand mixer or food processor) until chunks of butter are about the size of peas (a few can be bigger, just don't over mix to take so long the butter melts).
Then, add 1 cup heavy cream, mixing until just combined, finish by hand. Mix absolutely as little as possible to avoid gluten/dense scones. *if you decide to use fruit, add it here instead of with the dry ingredients.
Shape, and bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges/top. cool for 10 minutes on a rack.