pecorino, pine nut, and pesto scones

We have some pecorino on hand from the last time that Joel made mashed potatos, so I thought this weekend I'd try making some type of bread with pecorino. I found a couple of recipes, two which looked really good, but then we weren't able to get fresh sage from the grocery store (both called for it). I decided that one would probably be better than the other with the sage omitted, so this afternoon I tried making pecorino, pine nut, and pesto scones. This was the first time I've ever made scones. I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but the dough turned out a lot stickier than I was lead to believe based on the recipe: there was no way that I could have nicely cut my dough into eighths and transferred the pieces to the baking tray, so I just picked up handfuls of dough and made lopsided balls. The fact that I don't have a squirt bottle here (something I've tried to find and I think I will pick up when we're in the States next) wasn't a problem, since there was definitely no way they were going to dry out while waiting to go into the oven.

The result was tasty, but not quite what I expected. I definitely wouldn't put in so much sugar next time; I like the sweet/savory combination, but this was way too much sweet. I was also somewhat disappointed in the flavor: the pecorino that we have is incredibly strong, yet tasting the scones you wouldn't think that more than a quarter cup went into the dough. Of course the sage flavor was also minimal, as I substituted dried rubbed sage for the fresh sage I couldn't get, but that I expected.

Verdict: Good, but not as good as I would've thought. I'll definitely try making scones again, but I might try to find a different recipe.