Some of my clearest childhood memories can be boiled down to a few quirky moments that still make me smile.
1. I was the only kid I knew with a worm bin. If you didn’t grow up with hippie parents in the Pacific Northwest, that probably sounds strange—but it was normal for us.
2. In 1994 the only thing I wanted for Christmas was a Fantastic Sticker Maker. Instead I received 17 nature books about orca whales and their life cycles.
3. We had scones every Sunday. “Every Sunday” is the key phrase—no two batches were ever exactly the same. Substitutions were routine: my dad sometimes used orange juice, or we’d toss in sour cream that was nearly past its prime. Occasionally a batch burned because my mom would get distracted talking on the phone and wander away from the kitchen.
Recently my mom admitted in an email, “On a Sunday morning with a little butter, raspberry jam, and a cup of fresh coffee even the slightly burnt ones taste great!”
She’s not wrong.
A quick note about roasted strawberries: I discovered these by accident and they’re fantastic. As they cook, they concentrate and take on a texture and flavor reminiscent of fruit snacks—intensely sweet and chewy. They’re not a replacement for candy, but they’re close. Try them on a goat cheese salad, spooned over ice cream, or folded into scone dough while strawberries are in season.
Roasted Strawberry Scones
Makes 4 scones
Adapted from the Auld family archives
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup cold butter, grated or cut into small pieces
1/2 cup roasted strawberries
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Working quickly, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining—those butter pockets are what make the scones tender and flaky.
Toss the roasted strawberries with a little of the flour mixture so they don’t clump, then make a well in the center of the bowl. Measure the buttermilk into a cup and crack the egg into it, briefly breaking the yolk with a fork. Pour the wet mixture into the well and gently fold until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round. Cut into quarters or use a biscuit cutter for rounds. Brush the tops with a bit of buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm with Greek yogurt, butter, or jam.
Roasted Strawberries
Makes about 1 cup
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters or eighths
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, toss the strawberries with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Spread them in a single layer on the prepared sheet. Roast for 60–65 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the berries are soft and the juices have reduced and thickened. Let cool completely before using in the scones or storing.
