Cheese, Chorizo and Chive Scones #ISW 2024

It's time for International Scone Week 2024. This is still an important event, where bakers around the world submit an entry for their favourite scone, sweet or savoury. My Pumpkin Scones from #ISW 2022, are one of the most popular posts on my blog, and I still make them often. This year I have baked a savoury scone recipe, which is one of my favorite ways to eat a scone for morning tea. 

It's interesting that savoury scones are rarely seen for sale in coffee shops, sweet scones are the popular choice. When I first saw this recipe on the amazing Not Quite Nigella's website, I knew I had to make them. Lorraine Elliott is one of my favourite food bloggers and I consider her a real foodie friend. She was very supportive of my early attempts when I first started blogging 10 years ago. 

It's interesting how sweet scones, which I also love, seem to constitute the majority of scone recipes in recipe books. But to be honest I have more of a savoury tooth, and these chorizo scones are one of my favourite scones to eat with soup, for lunch and for morning tea. The first time I made them, I ate one every day for a week, I loved them so much. The next time I made them, I used a more intense flavoured and expensive chorizo and the Red Leicester cheese for a richer colour, and they were a little saltier for some reason, although still delicious served warm with lots of butter. So I have reduced the salt content in this recipe, and please only use unsalted butter, and I'm sure they will be delicious. This batch was perfect. By the way, Red Leicester cheese is one of my favourite cheeses to eat. It's readily available at supermarkets now at a reasonable price, and is a Thomas Dux cheese (no promo intended), although there is a much more expensive Red Leicester cheese available. The first time I made them I used Manchego, also one of my favourites. 

International Scone Week was first started in 2011 by Celia, the original hostess, and now Tandy, from Lavender and Lime, another blogging friend, hosts this baking extravaganza each year. Various organisations, including the CWA, also celebrate this event in many ways every year. I've just realised I am late with this entry for Scone Week, I've been travelling, but better late than never.

What do I love about scones?

• A batch of scones can be whipped up in the morning and ready for visitors arriving for morning tea, they are so quick and easy.
• Scones can be a very cost effective way of feeding a group of people. My Aussie Damper Scones  only have four main ingredients: SR flour, cream, sugar, pinch of salt, oh and water
• Scones freeze well. So if you are caught off guard, with friends calling in unexpectantly, a batch can be taken from the freezer to the oven, and warmed up very quickly. Oven reheating gives better results than using the microwave.
• When you make your own scones from scratch, you also know exactly what is in them. Whilst some bought scones are tasty, the extra sugar, salt and preservatives ensure they keep well. 

Other scone recipes that I've made for previous International Scone Weeks have been:

Sultana and Apple Scones with Lemon Curd were easy and delicious. I made them for 2023 International Scone Week.

Aussie style Rustic Date Scones were a cinch to make and very popular on my blog.

My Rustic Blueberry and Coconut Scones way back in 2019 were delicious as I remember, I must make these again.

All of the above were sweet scones, so now it's time for a savoury scone. This Cheese, Chorizo and Chive scone takes a little more time to prepare the ingredients, but the taste is well worth it. You will need a good food processor for the job, or a Thermomix. I don't own a Thermomix, but in her original recipe, Not Quite Nigella also provided the instructions for using a Thermomix to make these scones. Check it out if you wish.

Let's bake:

Preparation time:10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Makes 12 scones

275 g/9.7ozs cheese (Red Leicester, Manchego or cheddar)

180 g/6ozs chorizo sausage

3 cloves garlic

2 cups/300g/10.6ozs plain all purpose flour

3.5 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

125g/4ozs non salted butter, very cold and cubed

2 tablespoons chopped chives

160ml/5.6ozs buttermilk or sour cream (I have used both), but buttermilk is easy to make yourself with vinegar and milk. (Add 1 tablespoon of plain vinegar to a cup of milk, and let it stand for 10 minutes to thicken)

Egg wash to brush on top (1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 deg. C/350 deg. Fan Forced.

Line 1 large or 2 smaller trays with baking paper. 

Set up your food processor, and process the cheese. It will break up into tiny pieces.

Rich Red Leicester cheese

Remove the cheese to a bowl, and add the sliced chorizo and the garlic to the food processor, and process into small bits.

I washed out the food processor bowl at this stage and dried it.

Now add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar to the bowl of your food processor and pulse for 10 seconds, holding your hand over the chute or by inserting the cup that comes with it into the chute. This prevents the possibility of a cloud of flour flying up through the chute. 

Add the cold, chopped butter and chopped chives to the flour and pulse. You will have fine sandy crumbs as a result.

Add the buttermilk or sour cream, which will form a nice dough in the bowl.

I emptied the dough out into a large bowl and lightly kneaded in the chorizo and cheese, this is easier than it sounds.

Place the dough on your floured surface or kitchen bench, and roll out to 3-4cms thick in height. This dough needs to be higher than a normal sweet scone dough.

Use a 6cm/2.3 inch round cutter or a glass to cut out rounds of dough. I used a glass which worked really well.

Place the scones on the papered trays around 1.5cms/0.6inches apart. 

To finish, brush the tops of these little beauties with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes. At the end of this they might still feel slightly soft but they will firm up as they cool. 

Serve warm with butter.

Photo free Recipe for printing for your convenience:

Preparation time:10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Makes 12 scones

275 g/9.7ozs cheese (Red Leicester, Manchego or cheddar)

180 g/6ozs chorizo sausage

3 cloves garlic

2 cups/300g/10.6ozs plain all purpose flour

3.5 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

125g/4ozs non-salted butter, very cold and cubed

2 tablespoons chopped chives

160ml/5.6ozs buttermilk or sour cream

Egg wash to brush on top (1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 deg. C/350 Fan Forced.

Line 1 large or 2 smaller trays with parchment. 

Set up your food processor, and process the cheese. It will break up into tiny pieces.

Remove the cheese, and add the sliced chorizo and the garlic to the food processor, and process into small bits.

I wiped out the food processor at this stage and dried it.

Now add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in the bowl of your food processor and pulse for 10 seconds, holding your hand over the chute or inserting the cup that comes with it.

Add the cold, chopped butter and chives and pulse. You will have fine sandy crumbs as a result.

Add the buttermilk or sour cream, which will form a nice dough in the bowl.

I emptied the dough out into a bowl and kneaded in the chorizo and cheese, this is easier than it seems.

Place the dough on your floured surface or kitchen bench, and roll out to 3-4cms thick in height.

Using a 6cm/2.3 inch round cutter or a glass to cut out rounds of dough. I used a glass which worked really well.

Place the scones on the papered trays around 1.5cms/0.6inches apart. 

To finish, brush the tops of these little beauties with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes. At the end  of the cooking time they might still feel slightly soft but they will firm up as they cool.

Serve warm with butter.

Happy International Scone Week dear friends. I hope you have enjoyed eating some delicious scones this week.

Warm wishes,

Pauline