Smitten with Deb: Strawberry Heart Scones

Do you remember that movie Julie & Julia? It was based on a blog that became a book about a woman (Julie) who worked her way through Julia Child’s first cookbook. I feel that I too am working through recipes, but from Smitten Kitchen instead of The Art of French Cooking. Maybe they could call the sure-to-be-blockbuster movie Sanae and Deb: a crafty mama tries to bake better. Or Smitten with Deb. Yes, that has a nice ring to it. I demand that Lucy Liu or one of those girls from Ang Lee movies to play me. It could be a cooking/martial arts flick for that unexpected twist.

I’m still going with the “slap a heart on it” theme this week for Valentine’s and made heart-shaped scones. Deb recommends very ripe, farmer’s market strawberries, but those are not available in January, so I threw in somewhat iffy looking Trader Joe’s berries. Even with the sketchy strawberries, these scones are so amazingly good, I can’t even write about it without salivating.

Added bonus: it took 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to bake. Now that’s the kind of recipe I can stand by. They’re a little crumbly on the outside, with pockets of jam-like strawberry goodness inside. I like that they’re not too sweet, yet feel like special treats.

I urge you to try baking these using Deb’s recipe – she calls them “strawberries and cream biscuits” and that’s probably more apt than “scones”. Either way, you’ll love them, I promise! How does she manage to unerringly come up with fabulous food concoctions? I have a gift certificate to a bookstore and need to go out and get her new cookbook asap.