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A Gift From the Chef: Mum's Fluffy Scones and Preserved Mulberries

A Gift From the Chef: Mum's Fluffy Scones and Preserved Mulberries

by Mireille Kilgour

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There's nothing quite like your Mother's cooking. The comfort and warmth of walking in the door to familiar smells, the second helpings that always await you, and that one signature dish that's so good, no other version quite compares. For many of Australia's most iconic chefs, their passions began with their mum's signature home cooking. In the lead up to Mother's Day, our participating restaurants renowned chefs are opening up their mum's cookbooks to share their most loved recipes. This one comes from Icebergs Dining Room and Bar Executive Chef, Monty Koludrovic.

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar's Executive Chef Monty Koludrovic and His Mum's Fluffy Scones and Preserved Mulberries

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This recipe is something dear to my heart and involves two very special mums; my mum, Christine, and the mum of my sons, Jaclyn.

I grew up with a hardworking, dedicated mum who always tried hard to not only fill my belly and fuel my growth, but also to make food fun and enjoyable and special time for the family.

Rainy days on the far north coast would often mean fun times cooking and eating homemade treats… Mint slice, crepes, jaffles, banana bread, and fresh pizza.

When Mulberry season hit on our tree in the backyard, we would start making mulberry everything. Pies, strudels, jams, compotes… it wasn't always successful and it wasn't always perfectly de-stemmed, but it was always delicious and great value for money!

Having lots of homemade jam around would lead to bowls of ice cream, swirled with a spoon to make frozen mulberry thick shakes. However, some of the best days were 'jammy scone days'. Pumpkin or cheese or wholemeal fruit and nut were all good, but the whole thing went to the next level once the mulberry jam and whipped cream hit the table. Fresh, fluffy, fragrant scones would be closely monitored through the oven door so that not a single second was wasted when those golden puffs arrived on the table. Whip the cream, spoon on the jam, and get it in your mouth!

Many moons have passed since those days and along with my partner in crime, Jaclyn, we tweaked and fiddled until the recipe was up to commercial scrutiny. Let's be honest, there's not much you can change in a scone but the technique and tweaked measures when hitting a commercial operation are significant. When we were pregnant with our first boy, Stanton, we took our scones down to Pyrmont Growers Market and were delighted with the response. We discovered that so many people have fond memories and nostalgia around scones and afternoon tea. It's little wonder really, as they truly represent how beautiful it is to share simple treats with your family. Good onya mums!

Serves 10 good sized scones

Scones

Ingredients

450g self raising flour
½ tsp salt
100g butter
250g buttermilk
50g sugar
100g milk (optional)
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Note: The key is to not overwork your dough and keep it as fluffy as possible.

Preheat your over to 200 degrees Celcius
Sift your flour 3 times and lightly rub in your butter with your fingertips. Lift the mix up as you do to aerate the dough.
Add sugar and mix through with a butter knife.
Add buttermilk and bring together with your knife.
Work into manageable dough. Gently but don't take forever!
Pat out to approximately 2.5cm thick and cut into your desired shape. When cutting this dough ensure you cut straight down in one motion. If your using a cutter ring do not twist back and forth. This will help it puff upwards and evenly when cooking.
Transfer to a lined baking sheet and bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the sound hollow and feel light and puffy. This will depend a lot on your size. If you don't want to dust them then you can brush them with milk before baking.
Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp, if you can wait that long!

Preserved Mulberries and Whipped Cream

Ingredients

300g ripe mulberries, stems removed
150g brown sugar
30ml lemon juice
zest of ¼ lemon
300g full fat local cream
30g icing sugar
pinch Vanilla paste or seeds from scraped bean

Method

For the whipped cream, whip the cold cream and add sugar and vanilla half way through. Whip until firm peaks and store in the fridge until needed (as if!!)
Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes. Cool and store.

To serve

Dust the scones with icing sugar and serve with the mulberries and cream on the side.
Alternately just rip them open as you feel the need and stuff em full. Enjoy with family.

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Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour has been an entrepreneur for 35 years in the hospitality sector. French born, she has been an accomplished business owner and operator for a number of Sydney venues. Leading the industry with high profile institutions such as Lamrock Café Bondi, she has endless passion for the industry, and now has the pleasure of supporting restaurants to fill their tables with the new Good Food Gift Card program.