Email to Cat      

Mini Country Ham Cheddar Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Basic to Brilliant, Y'all" by Virginia Willis


Recipe Introduction

"When I was a little girl, one of my favorite breakfast meals was cheese toast biscuits. Mama would halve biscuits, leftover from supper the night before, and I would take that familiar plastic-wrapped orange slice and bend it until it broke into four equal pieces. I topped each half biscuit with a quarter of a slice before placing it on the bent and battered baking tray she used to make toast. Sometimes Mama would place a thin slice of ham under the cheese. She then placed it under the broiler. The cheese would bubble and melt, and the biscuit edges would toast and brown. I especially liked it when she cooked the cheese to a deep chocolate color so that I could remove the nutty burnt skin and enjoy it separately first, leaving the cheese creamy and soft underneath. (Mama used to make cheese toast every morning for our dachsund, as well. But that's another story for another day.)"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
â—¦ 1 tablespoon baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces
â—¦ â…“ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 ¼ ounces)
â—¦ â…“ cup finely diced country ham (1 ¾ ounces)
â—¦ ½ cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
â—¦ 2 large eggs


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking liner or parchment paper.

To prepare by hand, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until it's the size of large peas. Stir in the cheese and ham and make a well in the center. In a small measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Pour the liquid into the well and quickly stir until the dough is moistened.

To prepare in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it is the size of peas. Pulse in the cheese and ham. Then, pour in the buttermilk mixture and pulse to combine. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead two or three times, just until it holds together. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of ¾ inch. Cut out rounds of dough with a 1 ½-inch round cutter dipped in flour; press the cutter straight down without twisting so the biscuits will rise evenly when baked. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. If the biscuits are baked close together the sides will be moist. If the biscuits are baked farther apart, the sides will be crisp.

Gently press the remaining scraps together and cut out more biscuits. (These are more worked and will be a little tougher and likely not as pretty, but they still taste good!) Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the biscuit tops with buttermilk. Bake until golden brown and risen, 15 to 17 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes about 30



• Brilliant Short Recipe: Honey Bourbon Butter

Honey and butter on a biscuit is Basic, but being a good Southern girl, I am of the mind that adding bourbon to a situation is always Brilliant. Combine ½ cup (1 stick) room-temperature unsalted butter with ¼ cup honey and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk until smooth. (It will look like it will never come together, but it will; just keep whisking.) Makes ¾ cup

To serve, split the warm biscuits and spread with Honey Bourbon Butter. Serve immediately.