Pear, buckwheat and gouda scones with fig jam

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour 
• ¾ cup (180 mL) buckwheat flour 
• ¼ cup (60 mL) sugar 
• ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg 
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder 
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt 
• 6 tbsp (90 mL) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 
• 6 oz. (170 g) firm, aged gouda cheese, grated 
• 2 ripe USA Pears, such as Red Anjou or Bosc, small dice 
• ¾ cup (180 mL) buttermilk (plus 2 tbsp/30 mL more, if necessary) 
• Fig jam, for serving 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). In a food processor, combine the flours, sugar, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt; pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and the cheese; pulse briefly 8-10 times, or until the mixture becomes crumbly.  
2. Transfer to a large bowl, add the diced pears, and stir gently to combine. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Using a fork, gently bring the mixture together until just combined, adding more buttermilk if necessary. The mixture should be moist and crumbly, but not sticky.  
3. Turn the scone dough out onto a lightly floured board and using floured hands, gently press into a circle about ¾ inch (2 cm) high. Using a 2- x 3-inch (5- x 7-cm) floured biscuit cutter or glass, cut as many scones as you can from the dough and gently transfer them to a baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch (3 cm) of space between each scone. Gather the remaining dough and press into a circle again, continuing to cut out scones until all of the dough has been used up.  
4. Bake the scones for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a scone comes out clean. Allow the scones to cool for at least 15 minutes and serve with the fig jam. 

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