Ironically, I live with a roommate who doesn't like sweets. Blueberry muffins? No. Quick sour cream coffee cake? Forget it. Spiced pear cake? Puh-lease. Oatmeal cookies? You must be insane. I think you get the idea.
The only real problem this poses is that the temptation for me to eat everything my baking yields is strong. Luckily, I have friends that are always down for some free baked goods, so I haven't started sporting an elastic band on my jeans (yet).
I had become used to Matt, my roommate, never touching the goods that lie under the cake dome on our kitchen table, but then something happened - cheddar, bacon, and chive biscuits came into our life and turned everything upside down.
First off, some of you are probably thinking that with the inclusion of words such as cheddar, bacon, and chives, we aren't talking about dessert. Not to get too far ahead of myself, all you need to do is add two heaping spoonfuls of honey from Tremblay Apiaries to see how this biscuit could be interpreted as a savory dessert. Also, I ate plenty of these bad boys late at night, so I consider them a dessert.
But let's move on. I whipped up this biscuit recipe after it was featured in the February issue of Bon Appetit. I made sure to time my baking to coincide right before a massive winter storm in New York City, believing that I could live off of the biscuits until I felt like putting on snow boots and trudging through the sludge that is inevitably left after a snow fall in this city.
The recipe was easy enough and I was proud of the way the biscuits came out. After they had cooled, I put them under the aforementioned cake dome and casually mentioned to my roommate that he could help himself as I walked out the front door to meet friends.
Considering that he hasn't once touched anything that I've produced from our oven, you could imagine my shock when I returned home and my roomie greeted me with,"I tried a biscuit - they're pretty good." And just imagine how shocked I was when walking into the kitchen the next morning and noticing that at least four more biscuits were missing. To say that he really liked those biscuits is an understatement.
As someone who takes great pleasure in feeding other people and seeing the look on someone's face when they bite into a particularly pleasurable treat from my kitchen, I'm glad I finally found something Matt likes to eat. I think these cheddar, bacon, and chive biscuits are going to be a regular guest in our oven from now on.
One little note before you get started. I think the quality of bacon really makes a difference in this recipe. I'm lucky enough to live near a fantastic butcher in Brooklyn - The Meat Hook. If you have a local butcher that you frequent or having been meaning to pay your first visit to their shop, I encourage you to do so. I think your biscuits will benefit greatly from something more than grocery store packaged bacon.
Cheddar, Bacon, and Chive Biscuits
from Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
6 thick-cut bacon slices
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus melted butter for brushing
2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1 3/4 cups chilled buttermilk
Honey (optional)
Position rack just above center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then chop coarsely.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter cubes. Blend until coarse meal forms, about 30 seconds.Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Add cheddar cheese, fresh chives, and chopped bacon; toss to blend. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring to moisten evenly (batter will feel sticky).
Using lightly floured hands, drop generous 1/2 cup batter for each biscuit onto prepared baking sheet, spacing batter mounds about 2 inches apart.
Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Brush biscuits lightly with melted butter. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve biscuits warm or at room temperature with honey, if desired.
Makes 12 biscuits.
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