The main feature for dinner tonight will, of course, be steaming bowls of the carrot and tarragon soup I made late last night. Today I was dreaming about having crusty bread alongside. Trouble is, I didn’t get any started last night, and I just didn’t feel like stopping to pick up a loaf at the local bakery on the way home.

Seeing as there wouldn’t be enough time to make bread before dinner, my mind turned to the idea of savoury scones to accompany the soup. Then I thought about complementing the flavours of the soup, so I seasoned the dough with thyme, tarragon and pepper, and added grated carrot. To keep things on the healthy side, I used a recipe that was half whole wheat flour, half white, and added some wheat bran for good measure.

Here’s what the scones looked like just before going into the oven. I love the way the shards of bright orange carrot and bits of green tarragon liven up the dough.

These are so quick to make, and as I’m writing this they are just about done baking. I can hardly wait to see how they’ll turn out!

There you go, the scones as they’re about to be pulled from the oven. Don’t they look good? They’re still too hot to handle, so the suspense is building!

(Pause, for the passage of time … )

Well, after an interlude to enjoy dinner, I’m pleased to say we were very happy with the scones. They are light and tender, and the seasoning was delicate (I was going for subtlety) and savoury. They were a perfect complement to the soup. I can see making lots of variations on these, to go with whatever I happen to be serving.

I enjoy the process of making up new dishes as I go. Don’t be afraid to start with a standard recipe and make a few substitutions to change it up. Believe it or not, I started with a recipe for whole wheat blueberry biscuits and really changed up the flavour profile. This is a great way to exercise your creativity. And if things don’t turn out as you hope (believe me, I’ve been there), you’ve learned something for next time. Today was the first time I’ve made a savoury scone, and it won’t be the last.

Whole Wheat Carrot and Tarragon Savoury Scones

Makes 10 scones

I started with the basic dough recipe from Anne Lindsay’s Whole Wheat Blueberry Biscuits in Lighthearted Everyday Cooking and changed up the recipe from there. Once you’ve found a dough that you like, the possibilities are yours to explore!

Pre-heat over to 425°

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1tbsp wheat bran
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup soft margarine
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• about 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 carrot, grated (mine was a little over 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup milk (I used almond milk; the original recipe calls for buttermilk or sour milk, which would add extra flavour)

In a bowl, combine the flours, sugar, bran, baking powder, soda and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the margarine until the mixture becomes soft crumbs. (You can also do this by hand, but I prefer the pastry cutter.)

Add the pepper, thyme, tarragon and carrot, and stir in. Then pour in the milk and mix lightly. Mound 10 spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. For a final touch, I grated fresh pepper over each scone. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. I left mine in the oven for the full 15 minutes.

My Culinary Enthusiast and I really enjoyed these “custom” scones, tailor-made to go with the soup. How’s that for being in charge of what you eat? I do hope you’ll try these, or any variation that strikes your fancy. Go for it!