The Butchart Gardens’ Currant Scones

I was 12 years old when I first saw Canada’s privately owned Butchart Gardens: I have never forgotten their breathtaking beauty. Carved from an old limestone quarry, their 55 acres (22 hectares) rank among the world’s finest gardens. Planned and planted more than a century ago, the gardens hold a place on Canada’s register of National Historic Sites. 

These are the delicious Currant Scones the gardens once served. Regrettably, they’re no longer on the menu - but you can easily make them yourself.

The Butchart Gardens’ Currant Scones:

1-½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cream of tartar
⅛ tsp. salt
¼ c. cold shortening
⅓ c. plumped currants (see Note)
½ c. milk
1 tsp. cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Sift dry ingredients to combine and and set aside. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in currants. Make a “well” in dry ingredients. Combine milk and vinegar, quickly adding to dry ingredients and mixing with a fork. Gather pastry into a ball, patting and rolling into a ½-in. thick circle on floured surface. Slice into 8 triangular pieces or into 2-in. diameter circles with a biscuit cutter. Bake 20-to-25 min. until pale golden brown. Serve warm, with butter. Yields 8 or 9 pieces.

Note: See Index for How to Plump Dried Fruits.