For Valentine’s Day, what do you get a man the day after you return from a lovely tropical vacation and you’re bursting with the amazing food that you’ve consumed after a week of restaurant dining?  You get him bacon. In the form of a savory baked good – you know, baked with love.

Too exhausted to go forage for groceries, too weary of eating out (yeah I know, poor us, world’s tiniest violin playing in the background), we woke up starving the day after our flight home. It happened to be the day after Valentine’s day, and I had just cancelled our standing reservation for the Mermaid Inn, because we’ve had enough fresh fish to last us a year.

So I dragged myself from bed and made these scones for Brian, in honor of Valentine’s Day. They were quick and fool-proof. I had bacon in the fridge leftover from a few weeks back. It was begging, BEGGING to be used. 

I made a few modifications to the original recipe, which called for 4 strips of bacon (I used 6), heavy cream (I used light buttermilk, which, unlike heavy cream, is low in fat and with all that cheddar, you’ll never miss it), and cream brushed on top before baking (I opted to sprinkle with a little shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano).

The scones delivered the one-two punch of bacon and cheddar, spiked with the bite of fresh scallion. The texture was less scone and more biscuit-ish, with a moist center due to the cheese in the dough. I thought that they were good enough, Brian was way more over the moon about them, which is really all that matters to me.

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Scones
Adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse on Food.com 

6 slices bacon, chopped

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup light buttermilk

Parmiggiano Reggiano shavings

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter, cheese, green onions, and pepper with a pastry blender or fork, and work just until it starts to form lumps and come together. Add the bacon. Add 1 cup of the cream and work just until it becomes a sticky dough, being careful not to overwork.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it comes together. Form into 2 rectangles approximately 4 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Cut the rectangles into imperfect wedges. Transfer to baking sheet with a spatula, leaving 1/2-inch space between each wedge. Shave some Parmiggiano Reggiano over the tops and bake until golden brown, 22 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. The original recipe recommends serving these warm, we preferred them after they were completely cool.