The book club is coming to your house tonight. Besides finishing the book, you’ve got to decide what to serve instead of the usual wine and crackers.
A morning book club is a no-brainer: muffins and coffeecake. But planning food for an evening book club meeting is more problematic. Some participants, for instance, may have had dinner; others are coming straight from work.
The solution: Instead of serving sweet stuff on the assumption that everyone has had dinner, place baskets of savory quick breads on the cocktail table. Mini corn muffins with ham and chopped scallion. Biscuits with some grated cheddar cheese and black pepper mixed in to add substance and flavor. And these deviled Gruyere scones.
For those who haven’t had dinner, there’s enough to eat to get by. Those who have already had dinner can munch on these hors d’oeuvre-sized quick breads and not feel guilty.
For a sweet end to the evening, set out strategically placed bowls of chocolate-covered mints.
The whole spread is simple. For ease, the quick breads can be baked and frozen ahead of time, then heated just before serving. The candy’s a snap. As for finishing the book, you’re on your own.
Stephanie Witt Sedgwick, a former Washington Post Food section recipe editor, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
These scones are a wonderful alternative to crackers and cheese. Though they do require some preparation, the timing is very flexible. The dough can be prepared and cut into shapes ahead of time and frozen, then baked right from the freezer.
Alternatively, they may be baked in the morning and reheated just before serving in a 350-degree oven until warm, or they may be baked a few hours earlier and served at room temperature.
Use a good, sharp Gruyere and a spicy Dijon-style mustard to give the scones a kick.
2large eggs, beaten
1/3cup sour cream
3tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2cups flour, plus flour for the board
1/2teaspoon salt
1tablespoon sugar
1tablespoon baking powder
3ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces
1cup (4 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and 2 tablespoons of the mustard. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter pieces. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly and there are no visible bits of butter.
Add the sour cream mixture to the flour-butter mixture. Stir with a spoon to just roughly combine; then add the grated Gruyere cheese. Now use your hands to form a dough, gently pressing and pushing the mixture together. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or counter. Press the dough into a 12-by-5-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife or pastry cutter and cut the dough in half lengthwise so each piece is about 12 by 21/2 inches. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces, then cut each piece in half diagonally to form triangle-shaped scones. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of mustard.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Makes 24 hors d’oeuvre-size scones. Per scone: 99 calories, 3g protein, 9g carbohydrates, 5g fat, 32mg cholesterol, 3g saturated fat, 167mg sodium, 0g dietary fiber.
Adapted from “The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion”
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