Tea and Sympathy

Sometimes you just need a good cup of tea and a little sympathy when things aren't going your way.  I invited a couple of close friends one grey afternoon for tea, along with cinnamon scones and gougrères. If that and some girl talk doesn't improve things, I don't know what will.  We all felt better and brighter.  The scones and gougères(see Alex Hitz's, My Beverly Hills Kitchen) in bite size are just the right thing to go with a cup of Harney's Darjeeling.

Cinnamon Scones:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oven rack in bottom third of oven.

1 cup cake flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cold butter cut in cubes
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Pulse the flour, sugar, salt, soda, cinnamon  and baking powder to mix.  Added the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas.  Pour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add:

1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup cream

Fold the dry mixture into the wet with a spatula a mix to a shaggy mess. Turn dough onto a floured counter and shape to an 8x13 inch rectangle. Fold over in thirds like you are folding a letter.  Dough should be 1 1/4 inches in height. Cut with a 2 1/4 inch floured biscuit cutter.  Brush tops only with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar in desired.  Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating half way through baking.  Serve immediately.