Lavender and Crème Fraîche Scones

This is one good example of when nice things come out of annoying situations.  I won't go into it too much here, but my landlord is the worst landlord on the planet.  I have a whole list of reasons to dislike him and how he treats his tenants.  Poetic justice has actually been served, however, because he fled from the US recently after being charged with something like 13 counts of fraud or some such nonsense.  So now his adult children run the family business, but you know what they say about where the proverbial apple falls.

So anyway, we've been through about 3 weeks of haggling to get a new fridge before the one we have officially dies.  And guess what.  Yesterday, it happened.  So now I am without a fridge, although the freezer manages to eak out a few little puffs of cold.  I've salvaged a few things, transferring them from the fridge to the freezer.  My little tub of crème fraîche didn't quite make the cut.  I came up with this recipe to use it up in one shot.  

These turned out very well.  Very, very well if I'm forced to say so.  They're not the kind of sugar-bombs one would get at Starkbucks, however.  They're much more subtle, with just a hint of lavender.  Springtime scones, really.  A tang from the crème fraîche, and lavender fresh-cut spring.  Enjoy.

Lavender and Crème Fraîche Scones

2 cups flour

1 cup crème fraîche (8 oz package)

1/4 cup neutral tasting oil, such as sunflower

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon lavender buds

A few pinches of sparkling sugar

Oven preheated to 425 F, grease a baking sheet.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder salt and lavender in a bowl.  Add in the creme fraiche and oil, and mix until it begins to form a dough.  Either turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, or give it a few good kneads right in the bowl until it holds together.

Divide the dough in half, and, on a greased baking sheet, flatten each half out into rounds about 1" thick.  Cut each of the rounds into quarters using a knife, and separate the sections by about 1" on the baking sheet. 

Bake on the middle rack for about 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.  As soon as the scones come out of the oven, sprinkle with a little sparkling sugar and serve.