Cream Tea - the healthy version

Jun 12, 2019

I’m pushed to think of a more heavenly way of passing a Summer afternoon than feasting al fresco upon a glorious cream tea. The genteel tinkling of cutlery on china, birdies chirruping in the shrubbery, may be a stream doing a spot of babbling in the background…….

I assumed those days were gone for me -- given that conventional scones and jam are enough to send blood sugar levels to the moon and back. But thankfully I've created this low carb recipe that's every bit as delicious (if not - dare I say - even more delicious) than the wheat flour ones I used to make.

Cop a load of this cute little scone, topped with zingy fruit jam and a generous dollop of cream. It delivers the taste of Summer every bit as well as its sugary counterpart – only without doing the harm.

There's a wild card ingredient here - mozzarella.  Tasting the scone, you'd never know it was there.  It's there though because almond flour doesn't bind as well as white wheat flour with gluten.  The small amount of mozzarella serves to keep the scone from crumbling when you come to slice it in half.   Still slice with care though to be on the safe side.

This jam doesn’t have refined sugar in it to help it conserve in the larder until the end of time.  It should keep in the fridge though for about 2 or 3 weeks – if you can hang on to it that long. So far I’ve wolfed it down fairly swiftly and not been able to test the theory. Let me know.

For the scones:
250g almond flour
60g cold butter
1 tbsp xylitol
2 tbsp full cream yogurt
1 egg
40g grated mozzarella*
40g golden berries (inca berries) chopped   (Sultanas or raisins can be used but they will have a higher sugar content)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xantham gum
A pinch of salt

*Use the ready grated mozzarella rather using a mozzarella ball and grating it yourself.  The ready grated mozzarella is drier.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Cut up the golden berries and stir in.
Melt the butter in a pan.  
Once melted, add yogurt, grated mozzarella and beaten eg. Mix well.
Form the mixture into a ball. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 4. 180C/350F
Divide the dough equally into 8 and make each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls slightly.
Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
Cool on a tray.

For the jam:
300g frozen Summer fruits or any mix containing frozen strawberries.
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp xylitol
2 tbsp chia seeds

Put the fruit in a saucepan, add the lemon juice and xylitol. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Let the mixture cool slightly and add the chia seeds. Stir well.
Leave for two hours until cool and thickened.
Decant into a jar and keep in the fridge.