This wasn’t the plan + Mint-coconut scones with rhubarb chutney

I thought there was something wrong with today. First of all, I didn’t need to go to Seattle. I wasn’t supposed to work today. After staring at my phone all the way from Everett, like us zombie commuters do these days, I decided to look at the schedule one stop before the wonderful commissary that we convene at before the hustle. What took you so long, Edlyn? I mean you only had to wake up at 5:30 am and complain about how tired you are. Next thing you know, you hop on the 6:33 am bus (don’t ask me about the minute-specifics, somebody must be having a jolly ol time predicting these things) and get all emotional about the World Cup.

Thanks a lot, pre-made Spotify playlist.

I crossed the road and took the bus right back to Everett. No sheepishness here. None. Except it was 4 buses back to Everett. Again, no big deal. Seattle folks with their pitying faces, I’m not ashamed! Our buses smell better than yours and are mostly bigot-free.

I’m home now and happy that my day suddenly freed itself up. I made brownies. The post I was scheduled to write on Wednesday is now this post I’m writing on Monday. It’s about time too because I hear rhubarb season is ending tomorrow. You’re going to have to illegally hunt your rhubarb and find strawberries to pair them up with. Speaking of rhubarb, P!nk is coming up. She said to get this party started.

Or something.

Mint and coconut scones

These were meant for tea time, a passion of mine that rarely gets pursued in this culture/country of pasteurised milk (ew). Allow me to give more importance than these seasons require by saying these are the perfect season-transitioning snackies. I took two to work, gave three to the neighbours, ate two and gave the other two to my ol’ friendly friend husband. One disappeared mysteriously. I call them my tropical (mysteriously disappearing) scones on my other blog.

Ingredients

• 140 gm (1 cup) all-purpose flour + more for dusting
• 135 gm (1 cup) whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 37 gms (less than 1/4 cup) turbinado sugar (or your sweetener of choice)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• Zest of 1 lime
• 6.5 tbsp (88 gms) cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes, if mixing by hand)
• 156 gms (1 1/2 cups) whole milk
• 1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash
• 1/2-1/4 cup of dried coconut (unsweetened)

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and fresh mint. Add the butter to the mix. If you’re going to use a powerful food processor, you can just cut the butter into half or quarters and pulse until it cuts into the flour. There should still be small pieces of butter in the flour.

If you’re going to break down the butter by hand (like I did), cut it into small cubes to make the process easier. Mix the butter with your fingers until the flour mixture has a coarse texture. Add the milk to the flour and knead until it all comes together. Flour a clean, working surface and pat down the scone dough. Flatten out the dough into a circle (with your hands) until it is 1- 1 1/2 inches thick.

Using a circular cookie cutter (or the rim of a glass), cut out the scones and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle dried coconut on the top. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes or until the tops of the scones are deep golden brown. If you feel the scones need more time in the oven, but are already too brown, cover them with aluminium foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

Let them cool for a little bit before cutting them in the middle and eating them with…

Rhubarb chutney

I love how easy this is to make. In a house where 2 people live, it lasts forever. It’s very similar to a sweet mango relish I grew up with and binge ate along with my sisters in India. Today morning I used it to make a grilled cheese sandwich with some sharp cheddar. And sour dough. Hangover-I-hate-when-I-go-to-work-by-mistake food rules! I also ate a little bit of it with my aloo-gobi (potato-cauliflower) and rice on Sunday. It’s so versatile. If you feel adventurous, you can also add some chilli powder to the mix. You will need 1 pint jar to store the chutney.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 3/4 cups turbinado sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp, fresh grated ginger
• 1/4 cup raisins

Put all your ingredients in a small pot and bring it to a boil, while stirring. Once the liquid is boiling, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes or more, if you want a thicker chutney. Keep stirring throughout the process to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. You will know when it’s ready when the chutney becomes slightly harder to stir. Put the chutney into a jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.