Wow, eight days, huh? I did not mean to let that much time get away from me.

I even have these kick-ass scones for you and no picture of the finished product. But I do have the recipe, which I found on Smitten Kitchen, obviously.

But I do have a finished photo for the amazing cauliflower soup I made the other night. (Trust me, there’s about 4 inches of snow on the ground and soup was very necessary.) I think the magic ingredient in it was the curry powder.

All right: it’s holiday time so I won’t slack off for the rest of the year, I promise.

Meyer Lemon Fresh Cranberry Scones
Adapted from Gourmet

One of my favorite things about scones is how well they work when you need to plan in advance. Simply roll them out and cut them before flash-freezing them separately on a tray, and sealing them in a freezer bag until you’re ready to bake them. You can bake them right from the freezer, only needing to add 3 to 5 extra minutes baking time. Scones are always best when they’re freshly baked.

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons; preferably Meyer)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse, or 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries, if you insist
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

Accompaniment: creme fraiche or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons and chop fine, reserving lemons for another use.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, add to flour mixture.

In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter) and with a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

from Sheila Lukins

2 leeks, including 2 inches of green, roots trimmed

2 tbl. olive oil

2 tbl. unsalted butter

1 celery rib, with extra leaves, coarsely chopped

2 tbl. finely minced garlic

2 tsp. curry powder

2 tsp. ground ginger

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (more if necessary)

juice of half a lemon

1 head cauliflower, cored and broken into florets

1 cup half-and-half

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut leeks in half lengthwise. Wash to remove dirt. Pat dry and thinly slice crosswise.

Heat the oil with the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Wilt the leeks and celery with leaves until softened, 10 minutes; add garlic during the last 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder and ginger, and cook over very low heat to permeate the vegetables, 1 minute.

Add the broth, lemon juice, and cauliflower florets. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree in a food processor (or use an immersion blender) until very smooth, adding half-and-half through the feed tube. Add extra broth for desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.