Oat Scones with Chop & Drop Peach Rhubarb Jam

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Oat Scones with Chop and Drop Peach Rhubarb Jam ~ the scones are extra tender thanks to oat flour, and I make the jam with my unique chop and drop method, you simply count your pits to determine the amount of sugar you’ll need. This is a great summer breakfast combination.  The scones are moist, crumbly and oaty, and the jam is pure sunny fruit.  If you look closely you will see that I snuck in vanilla bean.  The rhubarb adds a little color and cuts the sweetness of the peaches. This is for a small batch jam; I made about 2 cups.  The amounts are flexible, depending on your peach haul.  This method not only dispenses with the canning process, it bypasses the whole weighing of the fruit and sugar.  This is truly a chop and drop recipe, meant to demystify the idea of jam making— you’ll just count your pits to determine the amount of sugar you need.  You can adjust it to your taste, as well, since you aren’t relying on the sugar to preserve the fruit.  This is for a small batch, refrigerator style jam, meant to be consumed within a couple of months. If you …

Ingredients

• peach and rhubarb jam
• large peaches (I used 7)
• a few stalks of rhubarb
• sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups)
• Lemon juiced
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
• oat Scones
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tbsp unsalted cold butter
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
• sugar and rolled oats for sprinkling

Method

1. Over a heavy bottomed pot, peel and slice your peaches and drop the fruit into the pot. Thinly slice the rhubarb and drop it in.
2. Count your pits. For each pit, add 1/4 cup sugar. Add the juice of a lemon and mix. If your fruit is juicy, you can proceed directly to the next step. If it's not, let it sit for a couple of hours to let the juices start to flow.
3. Bring the fruit and sugar to a boil, and then boil, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until the jam has reduced and thickened. Set the heat so that the jam boils, but not furiously. It will foam up at first. Stir occasionally at first, then a little more often at the end to avoid scorching.
4. The jam will darken and become glossy when it's ready. You can also test it by dropping a small amount on a chilled plate. If the jam gels as it cools, it's ready. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste, if using.
5. Ladle the jam into clean jars, close the lids, and let cool. Then refrigerate.
6. For the scones, set the oven to 425F
7. Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a processor and pulse to combine. Then drop in the butter pieces and pulse about 15 to 20 times until the mixture is crumbly, with small pieces of butter still evident.
8. Mix the egg and cream together, and, with the processor going, pour the liquid through the feed tube and process just until it comes together...probably about 15 seconds. I pulse it instead of letting the machine run.
9. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a plump 6 inch disc. Cut the disk in half, and the each half into 3, for a total of 6 scones.
10. Gently place the scones on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a little sugar and oats over the scones. Put the scones in the freezer while you clean up.
11. Bake for about 15-18 minutes until lightly browned and firm. Try not to over bake.
12. Cool a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a rack.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island