Long live the scones. These "drop" scones are cooked like a pancake rather than baked like a biscuit-type scone. My recipe follows Queen Elizabeth II's original 1959 method and ingredients closely. She famously cooked them for Eisenhower at Balmoral then mailed him the recipe at his request as a souvenir. I "Americanized" and halved her recipe, to suit the more casual get-togethers you might plan when outside the castle.
Queen for a Day Drop Scones
Makes 16 scones
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 teaspoons canola oil, divided
In large bowl, stir together eggs, sugar, and half the milk. In second bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar. Slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture, stirring in thoroughly with wooden spoon. Add rest of milk as desired to get preferred batter consistency. Then mix in butter.
Heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons oil to cook first batch of scones, 1 teaspoon for each batch following.
When oil is hot, drop a heaping tablespoon of batter for each scone into the pan. When browned on bottom, about three minutes, turn and cook another two minutes till brown.
Serve with syrup and strawberries. Butter and raspberry jam to accompany are also scrummy.
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