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I am off tonight for an overnight flight to Panama. I will be leading a cooking demonstration for a group called Boquete Gourmet, highlighting 6 recipes from 6 legendary restaurants of Hollywood. It’s an exciting honor to be asked and I am ready for this adventure!

And an adventure is exactly what this is going to be. We arrive in Panama City Christmas morning, where (hopefully) a rental car will be waiting for us. Then we will drive the entire length of the country (8 hours by car) from the lowlands near the canal– all the way up to the Volcan Barú, the country's highest elevation, near the Costa Rican Border. This is where the beautiful village of Boquete lies and this is where I will be showing off my culinary razzmatazz!

In the meantime, it’s Christmas Eve and I am still in Los Angeles surrounded by my friends. As a holiday gesture I am making a big bunch of scones so that the poor suckers I am leaving behind will have something to remember me by come Christmas morning.

This is my standard Christmas scone. It is one of the few things I make year after year. They are super buttery, very crumbly, with just a hint of maple sweetness. I think they are a very nice way to start Christmas morning!

It’s a big recipe and makes 36 big scones, but you could easily half it too. It’s just I have a lot of folks I like to hand these off too so the big recipe works for me. And though 36 scones sounds like a lot. They get passed around pretty quickly. Which means I can’t quite guarantee that each and every one of you can get one of them. So for the rest of my holiday homies I have this video which starts with scones and ends with our local (strictly amateur) Christmas parade. Oh yeah! And this cute little tree I decorated in the front courtyard of my house. It's so California, isn't it?

So wherever you are this Christmas Eve (whether you celebrate Christmas or one of the other wonderful holidays of the season) I hope you are happy and healthy and surrounded by love. I know I am.

CLICK here to watch scone video.

Maple Oat Scones makes 36

CLICK for printable recipe

• 7 c  all-purpose flour; plus more for rolling
• 2 c whole-wheat flour 2 c  quick-cooking oats; plus
• 4 tb baking powder
• 4 tb granulated sugar
• 4 ts salt
• 2 1/2 c unsalted butter; cold, cut into small cubes
• 1 1/2 c shortening
• 9 extra large eggs
• 1 c  buttermilk; cold
• 2 c  maple syrup
• 1 tb milk
• 1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center.

Lightly beat 4 eggs. Combine the buttermilk, 1/2 cup maplesyrup, and beaten eggs. Chill well before continuing.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix slightly at low speed. Blend the butter and shortening a little at a time at the lowest speed and mix until butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Divide the mixture between 2 large bowls. Add the egg mix to one bowl and mix well. Add the rest of the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time until just mixed. Cut with a knife to be sure there are still plenty of chunks of butter, but none larger than a pea. Divide the dough into 4 parts and dump each portion onto a piece of parchment. Cover with more parchment and roll dough out to 1-inch thick with a rolling pin. (There will be lumps of butter in dough.)

Chill well (again). Then cut in 3-inch rounds with plain or fluted cutter and place on a prepared baking sheet.

Lightly beat remaining egg with milk or 1 tablespoon milk. Brush tops of scones with egg mixture. Bake until tops are crisp and insides are done, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove baking sheet to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

Make a glaze by combining confectioners sugar, remaining 1 cup maple syrup. Drizzle each scone with the glaze. Sprinkle with a little uncooked oats, if desired.

SERIOUS FUN FOOD

Greg Henry

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