Garden Hats and Lavender Lemon Scones

  

Some day I will have a beautiful tea party under a pavilion on a green, green lawn.  Everyone will dress in white for croquet and wear elaborately decorated garden hats that will drive the bees to distraction while a quartet softly plays Vivaldi in the background.  I even have a set of delicately blossomed "Butterfly Garden" dishware that my Aunt Mary Ann gave me for just such an occasion.  In the meantime I will perfect my scone recipe...

Sweet Lavender Lemon Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour… plus more to dust surfaces
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp dried lavender buds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4" cubes
1 cup, plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups lemon curd


Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, sugar baking powder, lavender, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Add the butter, rub it in with your fingers until the mixture is pebbley.
Whisk 1 cup of the buttermilk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
Stir until dough forms.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface, and knead until the dough just barely holds together.  Five or six flips should do it.
Pat out into a 10”x6" rectangle.
Cut dough in half lengthwise. Then cut each half crosswise into 4 squares. ..Cut each square diagonally in half into 2 triangles…see...you did need geometry after all.
Divide up between the two baking sheets.
Brush the tops of the scones with 2 tbsp buttermilk.
Sprinkle liberally with sugar.
Bake until scones are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 13-15 minutes.
Transfer to wire racks; let cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon curd.