Did everyone have a splendid Thanksgiving? Was it filled with turkey, pie, and maybe a little bit of booze? Was there enough food? That is a silly question. If your Thanksgiving is anything like mine, it is all about abundance. Abundance is great; but after the turkey is packed up, the sides are nestled in their Tupperwares, the brussels sprouts two ways (yes, you read that correctly) are chilling in the refrigerator, and each guest has his or her own care package to take home, and you still find yourself looking at a bowlful of homemade cranberry sauce, what are you to do?

Make scones, of course!

For the past two years one of our guests has made the most delicious cranberry sauce, based on this recipe. The cranberries are tart yet sweet, flavored with just a hint of orange, and blooming with those warm spices of the holidays. This sauce kind of makes one wish that we ate cranberries all year round.

But with so much leftover, I needed to do something that would do justice to this luscious sauce. After some hemming and hawing, I decided that scones would do the trick. It was perfect! The sauce is shiny, and thick, so I basically filled the scones with it, then baked them.

This is my basic scone recipe. They are light in texture, slightly sweet, and offer a neutral base for any filling. In the summer I stud the scones with fresh berries; in the winter, dried fruit fits the bill; and now, come Thanksgiving time, I have to say cranberry sauce is my new favorite.

Scones with Cranberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup corn meal, fine ground
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream (light is fine, I would avoid fat-free)
1/2 cup cranberry sauce, chunky
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
additional Demerera sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Makes 8 scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix well the flour, corn meal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, and with your finger tips, work into the flour mixture until coarse, pea-sized pieces are obtained. Mix together the milk and sour cream. Pour into dry ingredients all at once. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the dough in half. Place eight portions of dough on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet. Slightly flatten the dough. With a teaspoon, place a portion of cranberry sauce in the middle of the dough. Now with the remainder of the dough, top each spoonful of sauce. It is not necessary to cover the sauce completely.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and the 1 tablespoon milk. Brush the egg mixture on top of each scone, and sprinkle with additional sugar, if using. Bake scones for 13-17 minutes, or until tops are golden-brown.