Keith Buchanan, the co-owner and operator of the new Teahouse & Coffeepot in Westport, knows a few things about scones. For one thing, the British-born Buchanan insists that the word scone be pronounced correctly. True, the Food Lover's Companion gives the pronunciation as SKOHN, like stone, but Buchanan and most Brits prefer SKUN -- like skunk without the k.
The Scottish quick bread, according to the Food Lover's Companion, is named for the legendary Stone of Scone (or Stone of Destiny, depending on who you ask) which is believed by some to be the pillow that biblical Jacob slept upon the night he dreamed of the Stairway to Heaven in Genesis 28. The stone was later taken to Egypt, Sicily, Spain and finally Ireland where St. Patrick is said to have blessed it and predicted that the descendants of Irish kings would reign where the stone lay; it was later taken to Scotland to the Abbey of Scone until the English took the prized rock in 1296; England's Prince Andrew returned the stone to Scotland 700 years later.
Now a coffee shop standard, scones sometimes taste more like stones than scunz, but there's an art to making them, says John McClain, who bakes the Irish tea scones for his wife Kerry Browne's famous Browne's Irish Market & Deli. The secret of a great scone, says McClain, is that the recipe doesn't call for a lot of ingredients, and what is blended together must be done by hand. "I've tried mechanical mixing," he says," and it just doesn't work."
Jonathan Bender and I have determined the city's Top Five Scones -- read all about them after the jump.
5. Broadway Cafe. Most people know the apple cake, but if you can break away from what you always order, the scone here will reward your adventurous side. If there's a chocolate offering, pull the trigger.
4. Teahouse & Coffeepot. Jennifer Scanlon is the resident baker for this newest addition to Kansas City's tea-and-coffeehouse scene, and makes at least one savory scone and two sweet versions each day. She wraps them in plastic to keep them soft and moist, because there's nothing so annoying as a dry, crumbly scone.
3. Hi Hat Coffee. You've got to get up early to get one of these freshly baked scones with your espresso. But the good news is the Westwood coffee shop will open a half hour earlier at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday beginning in March. That's one less hour you will have to spend without a cranberry scone.
2. Browne's Irish Market & Deli. Since John McClain makes the scones by hand, there are days when the store sells out of Irish tea scones quickly. They aren't fussy scones -- McClain prefers them plain or with a handful of raisins. But they're very tasty with a strong cup of Irish tea.
1. Clock Tower Bakery Cafe. A crusty outside gives way to a light and fluffy inside. Pastry chef Eileen Usovicz shines at this Overland Park shop, which sells flavors such as lemon ginger and cherry almond. You'll eat one of Usovicz's creations and discover that you've never really had a good scone until that exact moment.
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Okay, if you ever want to do an article on scone mixes, you'll have to include the ones you can buy from http://www.WoodlandFairyAcres..... This company has 22 floral scone mixes to choose from and you can make a variety of delicately sweet, moist and beautifully-flavored rose, violet, jasmine, lavender and orange blossom scones in the comfort of your own kitchen. And, they'll quickly ship to us in Kansas City!
The Oak Street Coffee Shop's scones really need to be acknowledged, especially because you can also buy a small variety bag of mini scones. Also, Hi Hat and Roasterie's scones come from Jeff Dover's magic kitchen in NKC-- Le Monde Bakery.
The scones at Cafe Nerman on the KCAI campus are worth trying, too: blueberry,apple and various others.
My favorites aren't around any more. There was a place called Breadmaker off Shawnee Mission Parkway by KCTV5. The building is still there - it's currently occupied by Stroud's. They had some of the best scones I've ever tasted.
Oh, my, you left out the fabulous scones at the Oak Street Coffee Shop.
They are truly divine.
http://www.oakstcoffee.com/
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