Biscuits...Morning & Night

Matt's eye was caught by the recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits with Green Onion, Black Pepper & Sea Salt in the new issue of Bon Appétit. "How good does this sound?" he asked. I wondered which of my upcoming meals he thought they would go with. His response was maybe chili since the biscuits had cornmeal in them or perhaps for a breakfast sandwich. I liked the idea of making biscuits with chili but I wanted to add cheddar cheese to them too.

(these were almost over cooked)

Buttermilk Biscuits with Cheddar & Green Onions
(adapted from Bon Appétit Nov. '08)

1/4 c buttermilk
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 c cheddar cheese, grated
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
big pinch of salt
2 T cornmeal
2 T + 1 t cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a small bowl mix together the buttermilk, onions & cheddar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder salt & cornmeal. Add the butter. Use your hands to work the flour & butter together until it is the consistency of a coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk mixture until large clumps form. Knead the dough about 3 or 4 times to bring everything together.

Put the dough on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Form into a square about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the square into 4 pieces. Space the pieces about 2 inches apart. Melt a little more butter & brush it on the top of each biscuit.

Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 4 biscuits

These biscuits were perfect with the chili & a nice switch from crackers or bread. We both really liked the texture & flavor of the green onions in them. Matt was a little iffy about the cornmeal, thinking it added some harder bits to the biscuits, I didn't really notice that.

Then we started talking about all the different things you could flavor a biscuit with. I got the idea of a breakfast biscuit with bacon in it & that was all I could think of so I had to make it for breakfast the next morning. Think about it bacon, butter, cheese...a little piece of heaven on a plate. We had them on the side but they would be perfect as part of a breakfast sandwich.

(these were perfectly cooked)

Buttermilk Biscuits with Bacon & Cheddar

3 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c cheddar cheese, grated
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
big pinch of salt
1 T sugar
2 T + 1 t cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel & cool completely. (I put it in the freezer for a few minutes while preparing everything else)

In a small bowl mix together the buttermilk, bacon & cheddar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Add the butter. Use your hands to work the flour & butter together until it is the consistency of a coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk mixture until large clumps form. Knead the dough about 3 or 4 times to bring everything together.

Put the dough on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Form into a square about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut the square into 4 pieces.

Space the pieces about 2 inches apart. Melt some more butter & brush the top of each biscuit with it.

Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 4 biscuits