Big Sur and back

We make it to the Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant, stunned by the coastal scenery along Highway 1, but they run out early of many baked goods. There are handfuls of cookies left but no scones at all. What I would do for fruit scones. We mask the disappointment and stay for lunch.

The recipe is from "The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook":

Scones

1 cup fresh huckleberries or blueberries
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

About 2 hours before making the scones, scatter the berries on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer.

Put the cubed butter, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Put the bowl in the freezer and leave it there for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Using a pastry cutter, work the chilled ingredients together in the bowl until the butter cubes are the size of peas. Make a well in the center.

Combine the vanilla and buttermilk in a separate bowl, and pour the mixture into the well. Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon to form a shaggy mass. Add the frozen berries and gently mix them in, trying not to crush them.

To shape the scones, place a 3-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter on one corner of the prepared baking sheet. Take a handful of the scone dough and press it into the cutter, patting it down so that the top of the scone is flat.

Pull the cutter off the sheet, leaving the scone behind. Repeat this process across the sheet, keeping enough space between the scones for them to double in size, until you've used all the dough.

Sprinkle the tops of the scones with the turbinado sugar and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're golden brown along the sides but still tender inside. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack and let them sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 1 dozen scones.

Where to go, what to eat

On a spur-of-the-moment trip to Sonoma County to see lavender gardens at Matanzas Creek Winery, a sister and I drop by Wild Flour in the small town of Freestone, just outside of Sebastopol.

A good friend mentioned the bakery once. He liked their breads, he said, but had to pay a pretty penny for them. He wouldn't let any go to waste. I have been curious about the shop since.

My sister and I share but still can not finish a large sticky bun. It measures at least 8 inches across and, honestly, tastes quite good. Nice and sticky, the way I like it. I will have to try the scones and breads as well sometime soon.

I can feel travel priorities shifting. My sister is contemplating a trip to Carmel and Monterey, hoping to take advantage of the long summer days. I tell her I am interested only if we can make a detour to the Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant off Highway 1. I have been reading about it lately.

She thinks about where to go. I think about what to eat.