Orange Cranberry Scones

Now that I have creme fraiche at my disposal, lets get cracking on all those recipes which call for them.  My first choice would be the orange cranberry scones that I have been eyeing for quite awhile now from flour by Joanne Chang.

Scones have a reputation of being dry and tasteless.  If you have not baked scones before, please do not take the seemingly easy preparation for granted.  If you do, there's a good chance that you will end up with cardboardy scones.  Two important tips to scone success are to make sure all your ingredients are very cold, especially the butter (heck, if you could ice your fingertips, do that too), and not to overwork the dough.  If you follow these two rules religiously, I guarantee you will have a very tender and fluffy pastry.

Anyway, did you know that there are two ways to pronounce scone ? One is "skon" (rhyming with "con") and the other is "skoan" (rhyming with "cone").  I have always pronounced it as per the latter, but skon or skoan, these scones have such a nice crisp crust with a light, buttery and fluffy texture.  And they are so good for breakfast or tea, especially when eaten fresh from the oven - I have this taboo that scones should never ever be eaten cold, they must be warm and fresh from the oven.  Perfect with a glass of cold milk or a cup of steaming hot coffee.  My only fault here is that I have may patted the dough out too thin.