Apple, Brie, + Salami Scones

At the time I'm writing this, I am in full-blown Fall mode in the middle of August. Oops. I think I go through this every Summer around this time. Feeling restless for Fall but guilty about not enjoying the end of Summer. Anyone else? I promise I really do love Summer and warm weather but I think I really am an Autumn girl. It's just magic. I've been so inspired and have tons of Fall content ideas to test out and bring your way so get excited! One of my first Fall recipes is always apple related, it seems. My parent's have a few apple trees in their back yard and it's around this time they normally start exploding with apples. When we got back from our family vacation to Seabrook a couple weeks ago, I made sure to load up my car with a big bag of apples before heading back up to Seattle. I'll definitely be back for more but I created these little morsels to start with.

But before we get into these scones, if you've never been to Seabrook or heard of it, let me paint you a pretty little picture. It's the most idyllic little town nestled on the Washington coast near the Pacific Ocean. You drive along this long and winding forest-lined road for what seems like forever and then boom! Suddenly you're in this perfect little neighborhood set on the hills right above the ocean. More than once I heard people describe it as a Stepford neighborhood. Not in a creepy way. Just because everything was so perfect. There's a neighborhood pool, dog parks, people riding around on bikes everywhere, and there's even a little stable and field for horses in the "farm district". Every house was cuter than the last and they all have name plaques on the front of their houses with the cutest, punny names like "The Jolly Roger", "Shiplap Dreams", and "Ocean S'mores". There's a little town square with the most adorable little storefronts, too. Honestly, I felt like I was walking around in Stars Hollow. The only bummer about the whole place is the weather usually isn't amazing on the Washington coast, even in Summer. But I still can't wait to go back.

Ok, so back to apples and Fall and baking. These little scones are another pastry I was inspired to make from mine and my sister's trip to Portland back in May. Along with the rhubarb goat cheese pop tarts I saw at The Kitchen Sink, I also spied some savory scones in their case: cheddar salami scones to be exact. I loved the idea of a savory scone and carefully slipped the inspiration into my back pocket for Fall. I wanted to tow the line of sweet and savory a little more (don't I always?) and thought apple, brie, and salami sounded like a dream combo. All these goodies get folded into flaky, buttery scone dough and baked to perfection. I'd say these are best served warm, too and are pretty quick to throw together. These could also debateably be called biscuits rather than scones. Google the difference and you may find yourself falling into a rabbit-hole of differing opinions and heated arguments about scones vs. biscuits! I found myself down such a rabbit hole as I was developing this recipe and I still never found a concrete answer. So, as not to offend or confuse anyone, call these what you like. One thing that is undeniable about these no matter what you call them: they are delicious.

makes 8 scones

3 c all purpose flour
3/4 t Himalayan pink salt
1 T baking powder
1 T organic granulated cane sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick), chilled and cubed
1 c heavy cream, chilled, plus more for brushing on scones
1/2 c sopressata salami, diced into 1/4 inch cubes (preferably nitrate and nitrite free, I like Volpi from Trader Joe's)
1 c double-cream brie, diced into 1/4 inch cubes (rind and all)
1 c apples, washed and diced into 1/4 inch cubes (preferably organic, I used a mix of Rosy Glow and Granny Smith)
1 whole apple, for garnish
flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 F. Slice the whole apple in half and remove core. Slice into wedges as thin as you can and set aside to garnish the scone tops later. Spread the diced brie out on a parchment or wax paper-lined plate in a single layer and pop in the freezer while you start assembling the scones. Since it's such a soft cheese, this will help it keep its shape when mixed into the dough.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Add in the chilled butter cubes and toss them in the flour to coat. Using your fingers, take a cube of butter and gently pinch it between your thumb and pointer finger to create flat shards of butter. Repeat with all the butter cubes. Add in the cubed salami, apple, and brie and toss to coat in the flour/butter mixture. Working quickly, drizzle in the heavy cream and gently fold it in until you have a very rough, shaggy dough. Avoid over-mixing here. At this point it will still look floury and messy and that's ok! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and using a bench scraper or just your hands, gently push the dough together to form a rough 9 x 5ish inch rectangle. Fold the rectangle onto itself twice, as if folding a letter. Pat the dough out back into a 9 x 5ish inch rectangle and repeat the folding once more. What we're doing here is laminating the dough, which creates layers. Gently pat out the dough back into a 9 x 5 inch rectangle (doesn't have to be exact but should be about 1 /1/2 inches thick) and cut into 8 equal squares. Transfer scones to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops of each lightly with heavy cream and top each with three slices of apples, slightly fanning them out. Sprinkle each with flaky sea salt and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy warm with a cup of coffee, split open and smear with some fig jam, or get crazy and turn one into a breakfast sandwich by tucking a fried egg in there. Happy (almost) Fall baking, folks!