I’ve fallen prey to Anglophilia. It’s a recurring condition, and I can’t remember what the trigger was this time: the return (and conclusion) of “Life on Mars,” re-reading a Georgette Heyer novel, or booking my flight to India, with a 19-hour layover in London (St. John, here I come!).

PBS’ Austen-o-thon, featuring BBC miniseries of all Jane Austen’s works (including the unsurpassed “Pride and Prejudice” that enraptured Bridget Jones and her pals), has certainly fanned the flames. As I watch the ladies and gentlemen picking their way through social minefields (and lobbing a few grenades as they go), in their dainty gowns and dashing suits, I’m overwhelmed by a ravenous desire for … scones.

Scones! Some people love the ritual of afternoon tea, with finger sandwiches and tiered trays of cakes — just give me some tea and scones, and I’m good. There’s something about a scone — its tender texture, and buttery flavor that doesn’t overwhelm its proper topping of clotted cream and jam. In the U.S., a lot of bakeries seem to think of the scone as a muffin that somehow got free of its mold, but they’re not similar at all. Scones more like the English cousins of biscuits. They shouldn’t be cakey or crumbly, since you need to be able to split them easily. And never frosted!

I have this reflexive urge to keep searching for the perfect recipe … even when I’ve already found it. Like, recently I read that Nigella Lawson has a good recipe for “Lily’s scones” in her first baking cookbook and thought, “Gotta try that!” (Update: They taste mostly of baking powder.) Nevermind that I’ve always been happy with Mark Bittman’s scones, and every time I eat one I think, “Now this is a scone!” They’re textbook perfect — gently flaky, and delicious even plain.

Still … Nigella’s scones. It couldn’t hurt to try, right? And I am feeling peckish.

Cream scones
From How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman
Makes 10 or so

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 scant tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 TB sugar
5 TB cold butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dried currants or raisins

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a food processor (or bowl). Cut up the butter and throw it in the processor, or rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers. Make sure it’s blended thoroughly.

Beat eggs and cream together, then mix into the dry ingredients. Add the currants and stir. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a few times, then pat into a 3/4-inch-thick layer and stamp out scones with a 2-inch round cutter. You may have to do a second (or third) round where you gather together the scraps, pat the dough out again and stamp out the rest of the scones.

Bake 7-9 minutes, until golden brown. They don’t really keep well for more than a day, but they can be frozen after they cool.