Cheesy, Salty, Savory Scones

YIELD — 8 scones

This feels like a weird thing to casually drop in the middle of a dessert book, but: I absolutely, 100 percent, will always and forever prefer savory to sweet. I would rather eat an onion than an apple, lick salt than sugar. In case you feel the same, first, thank you for buying this book anyway, I hope it inspires you to give some sweet things a try. Second, you will adore this recipe. I believe in a heavy cream/sour cream-based scone rather than a laminated scone (which to me, is more of a biscuit); what you lose in “flakiness,” you make up for in richness, tenderness, and never-dryness.

Ingredients

• ½ cup/120g heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• ½ cup/110g sour cream
• 1¾ cups/255g all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
• 1½ cups/125g finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus more for sprinkling
• 2–3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon/12g baking powder
• 1 tablespoon/12g sugar
• 1¼ teaspoons/5g kosher salt
• 1 medium leek or 6 scallions, white and light-green parts only, very thinly sliced
• ¼ cup/12g finely chopped fresh dill (optional)
• 1 stick/4 ounces/115g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Flaky sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the heavy cream and sour cream. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, parmesan, pepper, baking powder, sugar, kosher salt, all but a small handful of leeks (you can use these reserved pieces to top the scones before baking), and dill (if using) until well blended.
3. Using your hands (never a food processor!), add the butter and smash the butter into the flour to get large-ish, flat, even pieces—most of the butter should be smushed, resembling flakes, rather than large chunks or cubes, not unlike pie dough before you add water, or biscuits before the buttermilk.
4. Using a spoon, stir in the sour cream mixture and then use your hands to gently knead a few times just until a shaggy dough comes together.
5. Lightly flour the countertop and turn the dough onto it, patting it into a rectangle about 6 × 9 inches and about 1½ inches thick. Cut it in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise to make 4 pieces. Cut each piece in half on the diagonal so you’ve got 8 triangles. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. For extra fluffy scones (or if the dough is feeling particularly soft/it’s particularly warm in your kitchen), refrigerate 20–30 minutes before baking.
6. Brush a little cream on top of the scones, sprinkle with sea salt and more pepper, and scatter a few reserved rings of the light-green part of the leek on top. Bake until golden brown on the tops and bottoms, 25–30 minutes.

EAT WITH: Fried eggs, sausage (links, not patties), an entire stick of softened butter.

DO AHEAD: The dough can be made 6–8 hours ahead, then covered and refrigerated. The scones can be baked a few hours ahead. Reheat before serving, if desired.