Savory Zucchini & Gruyére Scones

     Judging by its continued abundance, my zucchini never received the memo that summer is over; I won't complain.  There's nothing better than walking into the backyard and harvesting our dinner.  Or in this case... the makings of a savory scone. 

     My plan is to mix up these Zucchini and Gruyère Scones again, freeze the unbaked disks on a sheet pan, then drop into bags to freeze.  I'll pull them out to bake when I have a pot of soup on the stove this winter.  I'm thinking they'd be perfect alongside a tomato cream soup (RECIPE).

     Or, with an antipasto platter and a glass of wine...

•Savory Zucchini and Gruyère Scones•

    from the September 2017 issue of Bon Appétit (adapted)

• Makes about 12 scones using a 3-inch biscuit cutter.  I used a 2-inch cutter which made almost double that amount. 

• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1  1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3  1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• 2 medium zucchini, coarsely grated, excess liquid squeezed out with a kitchen towel
• 6 ounces Gruyère, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
1.  Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Combine baking powder, sugar, kosher salt, pepper, thyme, and 3  1/4 cups flour in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times.  Add the chilled butter and pulse until the size of small peas.  Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.  Pour in the cream and mix gently with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly.  Add the zucchini and Gruyère and mix into the dough just to distribute.  Using your hands, gently knead the mixture until the dough comes together.  The less you work the dough, the more tender the scones will be.  This dough will be somewhat drier than most scone recipes, but the zucchini will release additional moisture during baking.
2.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 2-inch thick disk.  Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough and roll out to a 1-inch thick disk.  Punch out scones with the biscuit cutter (it helps to brush the inside of the cutter with oil to help  release the scones); place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2-inches apart.  Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (if storing unbaked scones in freezer, wait to finish with the cream and salt until baking).
3.  Bake scones, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden brown, 30-40 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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