Caramelized Shallot and Feta Scones

Two unsweet recipes in one month’s time? Am I entering my savory era?

I have a recipe for you this week that, yes, will ask you to peel and slice about a pound and half of shallots, so apologies in advance for any tears, but I PROMISE, this recipe is so worth it. (I used a dull knife the first go around and it was the Kalahari water park behind my glasses. Then I sharpened said knife and tried again; not one tear. Sharp knives save eyes?) No caramelization tricks or shortcuts (other than adding sugar) here. They’re fine in a pinch but they’re never as good as the real thing. But caramelizing this amount of shallots took me around 40 minutes in a large 5.5-qt Dutch oven, so I think it’s worth it.

Plus, the scones come together in, like, no time. So, correct me if I’m wrong, but this could be one of few instances in baking where the add-ins take longer to prep than the base. And!! This recipe makes slightly more caramelized onions than you need because, my thinking is, if you’re going to go through the trouble of caramelizing a whole batch, you might as well have some leftover to spread into fancy grilled cheeses or burgers or to top your pizza with or to mix into sour cream to make dip…. You’re welcome!

Remember: scones prepared this way are like pie dough. We want to keep most of those happy little pockets and sheets of butter whole and unincorporated, which gives us lift and flakiness. This means: start with cold (even frozen) butter, keep your dough chilled, be gentle when mixing and shaping, use parchment paper if it helps! A bench scraper is a life-saver for shaping, lifting and transferring this crumbly dough.

GET THE RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.

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Caramelized Shallot and Feta Scones

Makes about 8-10 scones