A simple and scrumptious way to enjoy the fall - and quick enough to make in the morning! I have used cranberries and lemon in this version, but feel free to substitute raisins and cinnamon, or even make savoury scones with chives, cheese, etc.

Yield: 12 scones
Tools: mixing bowl, parchment paper

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour (or half whole wheat)
1/3 cup sugar (omit for savoury scones)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, plus a bit for brushing
1/3 cup dried cranberries
orange/lemon zest
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Method:
1. Heat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix first four dry ingredients in bowl.
3. Blend in dried fruit, spices and zest (or savoury ingredients). Use fingers to ensure fruit is well distributed in mixture.
4. Mix lemon juice and cream in another bowl.
5. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in cream mixture. Use fingertips to blend together; you should end up with a ball of dough that holds well together.
6. Turn dough out onto a floured counter and form into two disks of equal size, and pat down to about 1" thickness. (Avoid using a rolling pin as this toughens the dough and scones will be dry!)
7. Cut each disk into 6 wedges (like a pizza) and place on prepared baking sheet.
8. Brush the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkle with raw sugar.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until scones are well-puffed and golden.
10. Eat warm with butter and jam!

Everyone's got their own way of doing this, from my mom to my instructors in school to each celebrity chef - here's mine! I use this for quiche, galettes and even empanadas. You can add ground almonds (excellent with fruit tarts), dried herbs, and citrus zest to liven things up.

Yield: one quiche/galette shell, or about 2 dozen empanadas.

Ingredients:
60g cold butter, cut into small chunks
125g all-purpose flour
1 whole egg
1-2 tbsp. cold water
pinch fine sea salt
for sweet pastry: 25g white sugar

Method:
1. Blend flour, salt and sugar, if using.
2. Mix in butter with fingertips until a coarse, grainy consistency is achieved (this is know as "sabler la pâte" in French)
3. In separate bowl, blend whole egg with 1 tbsp. cold water.
4. Gently blend into flour/butter mix with fingers until a ball forms. You don't want to over knead as this will melt the butter packets and result in a tough dough.
5. Shape into a disk, wrap and refrigerate overnight (although in a pinch, an hour or so is better than nothing).
6. When ready for use, remove from fridge, roll into desired shape and blind-bake (use pie-weights or rice) at 325F until golden (anywhere from 20-30 minutes).