Update: The winner of the copy of Carrie’s book is Linda E. Congrats Linda!

It is such a pleasure to welcome author Carrie Turansky today! She has a special recipe inspired by her upcoming release, The Governess of Highland Hall. The book is absolutely charming and seeing the recipe she sent to go with it… I can’t think of a more cozy way to spend a crisp, fall day.

PLUS, Carrie has graciously offered to give away a copy of the novel to one visitor, so be sure to say hello in the comments below! 🙂

 

Scones are a delicious treat often enjoyed at teatime in England today, just as they were back in 1911 when Julia Foster became the governess at Highland Hall and enjoyed it with the Ramsey family at their estate.

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Serving Tea at four o’clock each afternoon became a tradition in England in the early 1800s’. One of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting, Anna Maria Stanhope, known as the Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the creator of afternoon teatime. Because the Duchess suffered from “a sinking feeling” at about four o’clock in the afternoon, she asked her servants to sneak her a pot of tea and some bread. She soon invited friends to join her for tea each afternoon in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This practice became so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, and the practice soon spread.

 

Lemon Blueberry Scones

 

2 ¼ Cup Flour

2 tsp Baking powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Baking soda

4 Tbs Sugar

½ Cup (1 cube) Cold Butter

¾ Cup Buttermilk

1 Egg

¾ Cup Blueberries

Grated zest from lemon

 

Streusel Topping:

¼ Cup Rolled oats

¼ Cup Brown sugar

1 Tbs Butter, melted

1 Tbs Flour

 

Lemon Glaze:

½ Cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Cup Confectioner’s sugar

1Tbs Butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the dry ingredients of the scone into a food processor. Cut the cold butter into cubes and put into bowl of food processor with the lemon zest. Pulse the mixture until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, add the blueberries and toss with the flour. Mix together the buttermilk and egg and add to the dry ingredients. Fold mixture together gently, being careful not to break the berries. Press dough into a large circle on a flour surface. Cut out dough with a biscuit cutter. Sprinkle streusel on top of them and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake the scones for 18 -20 minutes until golden.

 

Mix together the glaze, adding as much powdered sugar as it takes to make the consistency you want. Let scones cool a bit before drizzling with the lemon glaze. Serve while warm and fresh. Scones may be re-warmed in a 350 F. oven for 5 min.

 – This recipe is adapted from Terri Bender’s Book Bound Blog.  

 


To be entered for a copy of The Governess of Highland Hall, simply leave a comment below! You can leave any comment, but if you’d like you can share with us what you enjoy most about tea time, or if you have a favorite of Carrie’s books that you’ve read!

A winner will be drawn on October 4th and contacted via email as well as announced here. Open to residents of the U.S.

 

Carrie Turansky has loved reading since she first visited the library at age five and checked out a tall stack of picture books. Her love for writing began when she penned her first novel at age twelve. She is now the award-winning author of eleven novels and novellas. Carrie and her husband, Scott, who is a pastor, author, and speaker, have been married for more than thirty-five years and make their home in New Jersey. They often travel together on ministry trips and to visit their five adult children and three grandchildren. Carrie leads women’s ministry at her church, and when she is not writing she enjoys spending time working in her flower gardens and cooking healthy meals for friends and family.

 

She loves to connect with reading friends through her website: www.carrieturansky.com, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.Â