Big City, Little Kitchen

PBS is running a mini-series, hosted by New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, called “The Best Recipes in the World.”  What initially endeared me was the fact that Mark and I seem to share an affinity for striped tops; every segment afforded him the opportunity to don a different sailor-y shirt, which obviously charmed me.  More importantly, however, the episode focused on baking, particularly scones.  He visited Tartine in San Francisco, and the array of desserts shown is reason enough to catch this episode.  Massive cinnamon rolls, tarts and cakes, and fluffy, pillowy scones gallore–watching Mark break open a wedge of freshly-baked scone was enough to drive me straight to my own kitchen to whip up a batch (at which point I was rudely reminded that my baking capabilities are still hindered by a lack of gas).  Following that, he jetted over to England, the birthplace of the scone (“scon”), to sample it as it was intended:  with clotted cream and jam.  Why don’t we have clotted cream readily available in the States?  I’d love a huge blob of it on something bread-like.  Also enticing were accounts of sticky-toffee pudding and fruit soup topped with creme fraiche.  Overall, definitely worth watching.   See also the website, http://www.randomhouse.com/broadway/bittman/, for recipes and episodes, although, inexplicably, directions for those scones are nowhere to be found.