Scones & Honey & Blackberry Jam

I was fortunate to receive several jars of Abeille Broadmoor Honey earlier this summer, and I quickly set to putting it to good use. This wonderful New Orleans nectar, with its sweet, smooth taste and anise overtones is perfect for spreading on scones and muffins. My projects included honey mustard, honey soap, honey biscotti, and honey liqueur (with varying degrees of success), but my favorite was the honey-blackberry jam, another delicious topping perfect for my freshly-baked scones!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening or butter
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or milk
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Crack eggs into a small bowl. Remove one tablespoon of the egg white and reserve for topping.
Beat eggs and combine with cream or milk.
Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of this mixture and add egg mixture all at once. Stir lightly (avoid over mixing!).
Turn dough onto a floured board and knead five or six times, just until dough sticks together. Divide in half, then roll or pat each half into six-inch circle. Cut each circle into 4 wedges. Place wedges on an ungreased baking sheet and brush tops with the reserved egg white (beat it first).
Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: Where we're from scones rhymes with lawns not bones, and they are sometimes baked on a griddle instead of in an oven. Granny made her currant-studded delights in an electric frying pan, and though I don't have her recipe, I seem to recall that Bisquick was involved.

Variations:
Currant Scones: Add 1/2 cup currants to dry ingredients before cutting in shortening.
Buttermilk Scones: Substitute buttermilk for the milk or cream. Reduce baking powder to two teaspoons, and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Cranberry-Orange Scones: Increase sugar to 1/4 cup. Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries and two teaspoons grated orange rind before cutting in shortening.
Griddle Scones: Use two eggs (no need to reserve any egg white). Use a biscuit cutter to cut dough into rounds instead of wedges. Preheat electric griddle or frying pan to 325 degrees (medium heat). Place scones on ungreased griddle and bake for about 10 minutes, then turn over and bake the other side for about 10 minutes.