Bacon, Tomato and Thyme Biscuits

Now that soup weather is upon us once again, wouldn't you love some savory biscuits to eat enjoy with your soup? Whether it's a small cup for lunch or a big bowl for dinner, it's time for some warm soup or stew and some delicious biscuits to eat with it. 

I came across a recipe in our local newspaper for cheesy bacon biscuits from a restaurant in Door County, Wisconsin. I didn't have the cheese so adapted the recipe to what I had on hand which was bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and some fresh thyme.  I loved the way the recipe utilized folding the dough over twice to create the beautiful, flaky layers.  The melted butter and sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top when they come out of the oven is so delicious.  

Try these biscuits with Hearty Lentil Soup, Minestrone Soup, Onion Soup Gratin, Provencal Vegetable Soup, Lentil Soup with Ham and Kale, or one of my most popular recipes, Navy Bean soup. You can also click on the Soups and Stews link under my Post Labels on the right for more soup ideas.

The biscuits are wonderful with soup but you could also split them in half and place a small slice of good deli ham inside and eat them as sandwiches! You've got to love the colors and food of fall :)

This is what our weather looks like today.  Cold and rainy! Soup time :)

Bacon, Tomato and Herb Biscuits

Printable Recipe

Makes 6-8 biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pastry flour (all-purpose flour could be substituted)
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup cooked, chopped bacon

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (may use dried thyme - or substitute herb of your choice)

1 cup buttermilk

Note: 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese may be added when you add the bacon.

Melted butter and Flaky sea salt to top rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, the 1 teaspoon sea salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender until coarse, not fine. Add bacon, dried tomatoes and chopped thyme and stir lightly to combine. Add buttermilk and mix until just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and push into a 2-inch-thick rectangle. Do not overwork dough. Fold dough in half from long end, flatten and fold again. Pat dough into a rectangle 1½ to 2 inches thick. Cut dough into 3-inch squares or use a 3-inch biscuit cutter, being careful not to twist cutter as you cut. Gather scraps, handling as little as possible. Flatten and cut remaining dough. Place unbaked biscuits on a parchment paper or silipat-lined baking sheet. For crispiest biscuits, place them farther apart. For softer biscuits, place them as close together on the pan as you can without them touching (no closer than ½ inch, as they do puff slightly).

Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (such as Maldon).

Bake in preheated oven 15 to 22 minutes or until evenly golden brown on top. Best eaten slightly warm.

Recipe adapted from Blue Horse Beach Cafe in Fish Creek, Wisconsin

Cheddar-Herb Biscuits, Colcannon Soup and Gaelic Coffee

Shall we start with dessert first?  Or perhaps sip on it while we're making dinner? :)  

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! Whether you are Irish or not, no one cares because everyone loves to get in the Irish mood this time of year.

To get my Irish feast started, I chose Colcannon soup from Kevin Dundon, author of Full On Irish, along with some freshly baked Cheddar-Herb biscuits from Margaret Johnson, the author of five Irish cookbooks.  (You will find all of these recipes at the end).

Both the soup and the biscuits were wonderful! I decided to leave out the called-for cream and butter in the soup and I'm glad I did.  The soup needed neither and was delicious on its own.

The biscuits were flaky and flavorful and I could have eaten several. They are best right out of the oven. I found the following day they had already dried out. Rather than fresh herbs, which I did not have on hand, I used chopped scallions and they were perfect with the cheddar cheese.

For 'dessert' I chose Trish Archer's Gaelic Coffee. This was so good!  A perfect end to the meal and made with decaf coffee it didn't keep us awake all night.  

The hot whiskey-flavored coffee sipped through the cold, whipped cream is one of the best Irish traditions I can think of, warm and soothing like a fisherman's knit sweater.

Sláinte agus saol agaib!  Health and long life to you all!  And remember, half a loaf is better than no bread at all! 

Cheddar-Herb Biscuits

Adapted from Margaret Johnson, Irish Cookbook Author
Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for serving
4 ounces Kerrygold Vintage Cheddar (1 cup), grated
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, and tarragon
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter the wells of a 12-cup (1/3-cup capacity) muffin pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 2 to 3 times to blend. Add the butter and process for 10 to 15 seconds, or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cheese and herbs and pulse 2 to 3 times to blend. Add the egg and buttermilk, and process for 10 to 20 seconds, or until a soft dough forms. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with butter. Makes 1 dozen

Colcannon Soup 

Adapted from Full On Irish by Kevin Dundon
Printable Recipe

Serves: 4 - 6
2 oz rindless streaky bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
8 oz potatoes, diced
1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
5 oz Savoy cabbage, thick stalks removed and shredded
1 1/4 pints vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
1/4 pint cream (I did not use)
1 oz butter, diced and room temperature (I did not use)

Heat a large pan and sauté the bacon over a medium to high heat for a couple minutes until the fat comes out. Stir in the onion, potatoes, leek and cabbage, then cover with a lid and sweat over a medium heat for 10 minutes until well softened but not browned, stirring occasionally.

Pour the stock into the cabbage mixture and bring to a boil, then season to taste. Stir in the cream (if desired) and simmer for a few minutes until the soup has a creamy texture.

I omitted this next step:

To Serve, remove the soup from the heat and whisk in the butter. It is important not to reboil the soup once the butter has been added or you’ll find it will curdle. Ladle the colcannon soup into serving bowls.

Trish Archer's Gaelic Coffee 

Adapted from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen
Printable Recipe

Serves 1

1 measure of Irish whiskey
2 teaspoons soft brown sugar
Strong black coffee
Softly whipped cream

Warm a medium sized wine glass with hot water. Pour out the water and put the sugar and whiskey into the glass. Add the coffee and stir well. Pour the softly whipped cream out of a pitcher over the back of a spoon on to the top of the coffee. The cream should float on top of the coffee so don't attempt to stir.

Basic and Simple Breakfast Scones

I enjoy making special breakfasts on the weekend.  The weekend is perfect excuse to ramp up the usual fare.

Scones are another wonderful recipe that we can credit to Scotland.  My other favorite Scottish recipe is for shortbread cookies.  I recently found this recipe for scones that differed so much from other recipes I had tried in the past that I had to try it for this weekend's special morning treat.  These are simple and delicious!

The one thing I know about making scones is that you should not 'overwork' the dough.  Only mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated with the wet ingredients. Here are my rolled and cut scones with their egg and milk 'wash' reading for the oven:

 Here are the puffed and golden beauties right after baking:

I couldn't wait to bite into one. They were wonderfully light and biscuit-y for lack of a better description.  Just a little sugar in the batter and another sprinkle of sugar over the egg wash gave them just the right amount of sweetness.  These are basic scones -  best eaten with your favorite preserves or a little butter warm right after baking.

A little of my favorite strawberry and rhubarb jam truly got my weekend off to a wonderful start ;)

Scones
Recipe Adapted from Rachel Allen
Printable Recipe

4 cups (500g) all purchase, unbleached, flour, plus extra for dusting
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon sea salt
9 tablespoons (125g) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
1/8 cup (25g) baking (superfine) sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 and 1/8 cup (275ml) buttermilk or milk, plus extra for the egg wash*

Granulated sugar for sprinkling over scones before baking (optional)

*I did not have buttermilk so I used approximately 1/8 cup sour cream and stirred in enough milk to make 1 and 1/8 cup liquid.

Preheat the oven to 426F ( 220C/gas 7).

Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugar and blend. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Set aside about a third of the beaten egg and combine the rest with the milk. Add to the flour mixture and mix briefly to combine into a moist dough. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and press together lightly. Roll out to a thickness of about 1 to 1-1/2 inches.

Using a round cutter, cut out approximately 12 scones and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

Brush the scones with an egg wash made with the reserved egg to which a little milk has been added. Sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar, if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10–14 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve while hot.