Elaine Szlosberg of Raleigh shared her recipe for Queen Elizabeth’s Drop Scones, which has a fascinating history.
As Szlosberg noted in her letter: “The queen served tea to General Eisenhower at Balmoral. He requested the recipe and she sent it to him.”
In 1959, Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, visited Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral, an estate house in Scotland that has been a private residence for the royal family since the 1800s. In January 1960, the queen wrote a widely documented letter: “Dear Mr. President, Seeing a picture of you in today’s newspaper, standing in front of a barbecue grilling quail, reminded me that I had never sent you the recipe of the drop scones that I promised you at Balmoral. I hope you will find them successful.”
These drop scones are not what we think of as scones, which are similar to biscuits. Their other name, Scotch pancakes, is a more apt description.
Queen Elizabeth’s Drop Scones
Superfine sugar can be found in specialty grocery stores or blitz regular sugar in a small food processor. Adapted from Elaine Szlosberg of Raleigh.
2 eggs
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. baking soda
6 Tbsp. butter, divided
Stir together eggs, sugar and 3/4 cup milk in a medium bowl until fully combined. Add flour and stir until completely wet. Add remaining 3/4 cup milk, cream of tartar and baking soda. Stir to combine. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and fold that into batter.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter as needed. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into pan and cook until bubbles appear, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, cook until lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with strawberry jam and English clotted cream or cream cheese.
Yield: 16 pancakes.
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