Cheese and Onion Scones #ISW2026

And here is my second bake for International Scone Week!  A savoury one this time.  And I have to say, this one went down a treat with hubby and friends.  These lasted a bare 24 hours!  Mr P. suggests using even more herbs, pepper and chilli flakes, and he's not wrong :=)  

This recipe is from our dear friend's Auntie Patty, who died recently.  Our friend kindly handed on some of her handwritten recipes on yellow card, in her very wonderful and clear handwriting.  Auntie Patty only gave cayenne as an optional extra, with no other herbs or spices.  I boosted the flavour a bit, and as I said above, Mr P. said more is more :)

I was a bit worried about adding raw onion here, but it was a fabulous addition.  Make sure you chop it finely, of course.  I used one French shallot, and some red onion but once again, go with what you like.  These are really fabulous scones.  Thanks Auntie Patty!  

cheesy!  why not spread some (alot) butter in the middle? :=)

Makes 16-18:

ingredients:

375g./(3 cups) plain flour    see Notes

5 tsp baking powder

a big pinch of sea salt flakes

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

about ten grinds of black pepper  (or more, to your taste)

1-2 tsp dried parsley and/or your fave herb  (I like chives, too!)

50g./1.8 oz cold butter, diced

1 small-ish red onion or 2-3 French shallots, finely diced

185g. (1.5 cups) vintage/mature cheddar cheese, grated

310 mL (1.25 cups) milk

extra milk, for glazing the tops of the scones

the more the merrier, says Mr P.

Method:

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up

Grab a baking tray and throw on some baking paper

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (including salt, pepper and herbs) together

Then rub in the diced butter with your fingers, till you get sandy crumbs

Now put half the onion, and one cup of the grated cheese into the bowl, and fold them in

Make a well in the centre of the dough, and splosh all the milk in!  Yep I know it sounds a bit mad, but it works

Mix it all in well, but try not to go too crazy as you don't want to activate the gluten too much (or at all)

Form the dough into a ball in the bowl (if you can), then slap the dough onto a floured surface, and shape and flatten it to a rectangle, about 1.5 cm high, and approx. 24 cm x 20 cm (you might need to throw a bit more flour onto it, as it is most likely going to be sticky!)

Cut it into 16 (or 18) squares, place them on the lined tray, and brush the tops with the extra milk

And add the rest of the onion and the cheese on the tops

Bake for around 15-20 minutes, till golden

Delicious both warm or room temp., with lots of butter in the middle

yep, shallots

Notes:

I am using Auntie Patty's measurements in her recipe verbatim (for the ingredients list anyway) - one Aussie cup of flour is normally 150g./5.3 oz but we will stick to her measurements!

I think your rectangle will be about 9.5 inches by 8 inches, for those non-metric fellas

full-cream milk

get those ingredients together 

and grate that cheese!

kinda sticky, once you add the cheese

and now add the rest of the cheese on top

and don't forget the extra onion!

golden and smelling so good

half of them gone already :=)

butter makes everything better, of course

so neat!

Here is another post for International Scone Week hosted by Tandy of Lavender and Lime blog.  We have been doing this every August for years, my friends.  #ISW2026 goes from the 10th to the 16th; everybody welcome!

Huckleberry Scones - kind of!

International Scone Week again?  How can this be?  You mean a whole year has gone by already?  Okay, I give in, I've had another birthday and here we are.  I am joining in with Tandy from Lavender and Lime for the annual scone festival, which has been ongoing since 2011.  The years have really flown by ...  

This recipe is from Baking across America by B. Dylan Hollis - my fave cooking YouTuber!  He is such a delight.  It's amazing that social media has given so many people a career and a decent wage too.  Our Historical Society has just received its first Facebook payment due to a lot of engagement.  Millions of views, and a few measly (tho' very welcome) dollars.  Here's to future happy $!

add some homemade jam to the middle!

Makes 1 dozen scones:

ingredients:

280g./10 oz plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

100g./3.5 oz sugar (I used caster)

zest of 1 lemon  see Notes

115g./4 oz butter, cold and diced

120 mL/4 oz buttermilk   see Notes

150g./5.3 oz huckleberries!   see Notes

2-3 tsp demerara sugar  (my addition)

raspberries

Method:

Turn on your oven to 200C/400F to heat up, and grab a baking tray which you then line with baking paper

Grab yourself a large mixing bowl, and add in the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and lemon zest

Give it a good whisking, then rub in the butter with a knife then your fingers so you end up with a sandy mixture (and not too many chunks of butter)

In go the buttermilk and the berries; mix till just combined.  My mixture was incredibly damp so I chucked in a bit more flour to make it more pliable

Dylan says to divide the dough in half (weighing each half with a kitchen scale!), and form them into balls - gently!   see Notes

He then says to press the balls out to make a disc 4cm/1.5 inches high, and cut each disc into 6 wedges, separated just a wee bit on the tray so you end up with 12 small-ish wedges

I say phooey to all this!  What a lot of unnecessary faffing!  Don't bother to divvy up the dough; just flatten it out a bit (you probably won't get it to be 4cm high), cut into 12 pieces and shove 'em in the oven for 12-15 minutes till golden  

Oops!  Don't forget to sprinkle on the demerara sugar before baking!

and a lemon

Notes:

Google says 1 medium lemon gives you 1 (U.S.) Tbs of zest; I used 1.5 lemons as they were small! (and this is an American recipe so the tablespoons are smaller than ours)

I made my own buttermilk - I just added a bit of yoghurt and ricotta ('cos it was in the fridge), and lemon juice to some milk.  Stirred it, and left it to sit for 10 minutes to go thick(er)

Like me, you may not be able to get yourself some huckleberries, so I used 100g./3.5 oz raspberries and 50g./1.8 oz chocolate chips

My dough made 375g./13 oz x 2 halves = 750g./26.5 oz all up

Flour!  Plain (all-purpose)

ingredients gathered

ready to rub butter in

buttermilk going in

and the berries and choc chips

a kinda damp dough

sugar sprinkled on, and ready for baking

why do they look green? hehehe (and a bit crab-like)

I think that's a bit of ricotta on top

great with cream and some homemade apricot jam!

#ISW2026

In My Kitchen - August 2026

August?  Are you there, August?  Of course you are.  And how did that happen, my friends?  July has been a bit of a killer healthwise for us.  Lots of people have been saying that this year has been a bit of a trial for them too, so here's hoping it picks itself up soon!  I am so over it! 

And as for Mr P. - he is currently a bit of a test bunny in medical research with our old alma mater the University of Queensland.  He is an anomaly, suffering from a lifelong neurological disease plus prostate cancer.  He never does things by halves, that's for sure!  And never gives in to despair or self-pity, and is a mentor to others in his field (building design).  An incredible fella is Mr P.!

a cheeky curveball! Me in front of my artwork at the Incognito Art show!

No, I can't tell you which one is mine, as they are incognito till someone buys them.  But regular readers will probably be able to guess!  We went to the Art Show to check out all the incredible artworks; it was so lovely to see mine up there, too.

In My Kitchen:

gorgeous green birthday gift from the cuz

we love a bit of relish in this house :=)

the cutest metal (Japanese) spoon and Japanese sesame seed oil

I made citrus cordial with limes and lemons

and I bought a plethora of goodies from the Japanese store (again)

including this wonderful watermelon sorbet in a cute ball!

yep another cookbook; I do enjoy Ella's writing and recipes

a dear friend brought back these lovelies from her recent trip to the U.K.

we visited the local Italian deli

our Tassie friend gave me this for my birthday

my niece sent me the spoon and the Japanese (bamboo) dishcloth

I made a Brussels sprouts and pumpkin frittata!

the curveball! I love the toucans. (Artwork by Misty Shipway)

c. Sherry M.

Be a part of our friendly IMK community by adding your post here too - everybody welcome!  We'd love to have you visit.  Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And one curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related.  

The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month, every month.

Options for adding your post to IMK:

1. Add via the Add Link button at the bottom of this post.  Instructions can be found on the sidebar of this page, under the  Add your IMK link OR:

2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I can add it manually to the list below OR:

3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or any queries about the link process, or if you would like it to be added after the 13th ('cos I'm happy to add it for you later)

4. If you prefer not to add your post via Inlinkz, I am very happy to add it for you manually.  Just email me with your blog name and URL!!  

Looking forward to seeing you all here, my friends!

Mae'sFoodBlog

Hi, fellow IMKers: for some reason, the inlinkz linky thing is not working at the moment, so I am having to add your posts here manually.  This might take me a while! :=)

The August IMK List:

Jo from Brookford Kitchen Diaries

Sammie from The Annoyed Thyroid

Marg from The Intrepid Reader

Melynda from Scratch Made Food

Deb from Readerbuzz

Hopefully, the problem is now fixed, my friends!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

The Crustless One - with Potato, Egg & Cheese

Do you like Persian (Iranian) or Italian food, my friends?  I love Persian food!  Here we have a recipe from Pomegranates & Artichokes, a fascinating collection of recipes by Saghar Setareh.  Her book encompasses recipes and her memories on her journey from Iran to Italy.  She moved to Italy at the age of 22, leaving her parents and family behind.  A brave move at that age, I think.  I moved interstate at 19, and to Brisbane on my own, so I have a vague idea of how that feels.   

 

I originally made this one waaaay back in September 2023! for cookbook club.  And then again this April.  We have Persian (Iranian) friends, so their food has become a fave of ours.  Though this one is actually an Italian one - her version of a torta rustica, a savoury pie.  So, no crust - just a hearty potatoey mash with eggs and cheese.  Delicious indeed!  And so comforting.  And you get protein!  

delicious!

Serves 4-6:

ingredients:

1 kg./2.2 lbs potatoes

100g./3.5 oz parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated

2 Tbs parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

some black pepper  (to your taste)

40g./1.4 oz butter, softened (at room temp. basically)

2 Tbs breadcrumbs (I use panko, but use whatever you prefer)

4 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise  (peeled obvs.!)

100-150g./3.5-5.3 oz spicy salami, diced   see Notes!

100g./3.5 oz cheddar cheese, diced   see Notes

a handful of chopped parsley on top

yep, potatoes!

Method:

Add the unpeeled spuds (potatoes) to a large saucepan with cold water to cover them

Boil till tender, drain and leave to cool

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up, while you peel and mash the spuds

Add the cheese, salt and pepper, and mix in gently

Grease the bottom and sides of your (20-22cm/8-8.5 inch) pie dish with half the butter, and dust with half the breadcrumbs

Now half the mash gets spread over the bottom of the dish, then you make 8 divots in the mash so you have room for your eggs

Season the eggs with salt and pepper, and place cutside down in your wee holes

Scatter over the cheese and salami (or tuna, etc) and give the eggs a gentle push into the mash

On goes the rest of the mash, with a spoon or your hands :=)

Then the panko gets scattered over the whole shebang, and you put dabs of the remaining butter over it all

Add some chopped parsley if you fancy, then ... 

Bake for 20 minutes, then under the grill for 10, and let it cool in the dish for 30 minutes

Slice it up, and serve with a salad or steamed veg. - a bit of tomato relish goes down well with it too!

and parsley

Notes:

No salami eaten in this house (we don't eat pigs), so I used 95g. tin of tuna in oil, 2 Tbs baby capers and some roasted red capsicum

You can use provolone or fontina cheese instead of cheddar, says the author

Looking at my photo from this April, I seem to have thrown some parsley into the filling also, and perhaps even some pre-cooked mushroom or pumpkin?  Not sure!  But really, you can add what you like, or have in the fridge.

I love panko!

boil those eggs, and the potatoes

dust your pie tin with half the butter and half the breadcrumbs

spread the mash over the bottom of the pie dish

smoosh those eggs into the mash!

cheesy!

pop into the oven at 180C/350F

this is before the mash goes on top of course :)

and baked!

add a bit of salad to your plate

We haven't been to Iran, but we visited Italy years ago.  Only to Rome, so maybe one day we will get to the Uffizi in Florence, and the canals in Venice.  We were gobsmacked at the Vatican, and amazed by the history and architecture in Rome.  Oh yes, how about Tuscany?  One day ...