Hazelnut and tonka bean scones with strawberries and clotted cream

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Anna Hansen updates the humble afternoon tea with her take on the British classic of scones and strawberry jam. Toasted hazelnuts add nutty depth and texture to the scones, while adding ground tonka bean to both the scone mix and strawberry compote adds a huge flavour boost, with spiced notes of vanilla and clove.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 250g of hazelnuts, peeled
  • 1 punnet of strawberries
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla sugar, or icing sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground tonka bean
  • 400g of self-raising flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 80g of caster sugar
  • 80g of butter, cold, diced
  • 300ml of double cream
  • 1 dash of milk
  • 1 tbsp of Demerara sugar
  • clotted cream

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8.
2
For the strawberry compote, wash the strawberries, hull and cut into quarters lengthways (or into eighths if large). Coat in the vanilla or icing sugar and ¼ of a teaspoon of ground tonka bean. Mix well and set aside
3
Coarsely chop 50g of the hazelnuts and set aside. Toast the remaining 200g of hazelnuts in the oven until they have just started to colour and then roughly chop
4
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, the remaining teaspoon of ground tonka bean and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl then tip into a food processor
5
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Tip back into the mixing bowl, add the 200g of toasted hazelnuts and gently mix. Lastly add the cream and mix again to form a dough - be careful not to overwork
  • 80g of butter, cold, diced
  • 300ml of double cream
6
Lightly dust a work surface with flour, turn the dough out on to it and flatten to about 2.5cm. Cut into 12 squares with a knife, or use a pastry cutter if you prefer, and transfer to a baking sheet. Brush the top of the scones with a little milk and sprinkle with the 50g of untoasted hazelnuts and the demerera sugar
  • 1 dash of milk
  • 1 tbsp of Demerara sugar
7
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with lashings of clotted cream and the strawberry compote
  • clotted cream
First published in 2015

Whether you call it 'fusion', 'global' or 'basically indescribable' is beside the point; Anna Hansen's food is without a doubt fresh and adventurous - you might even call it modern.

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