Last fall we went to Orlando, Florida for work/fun. While there we tried out the restaurant Cask and Larder. It was delicious and before leaving I purchased the cookbook from their sister restaurant, The Ravenous Pig. I perused the book on the trip home and decided the first thing I had to make were these Gruyère Biscuits. And I have made them at least a dozen times since then.
They are great for any meal. I love them for breakfast with a little butter and homemade peach jam. But they are also good with dinner in the place of your traditional biscuit. I have even cubed the leftovers and made croutons for salad!
This recipe employs some basic pastry making techniques that may or may not be familiar to you. But don’t let that stop you from trying these out. They are definitely worth the effort. You can also make a double batch and freeze the uncooked biscuits to pop in the oven later. Just put the frozen biscuits on your baking sheet and place in the preheated oven. You will need to bake just a few minutes longer.
First, combine all your dry ingredients in a bowl.
Then, grate your frozen butter using a box grater.
Work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. This shouldn’t take too long since the butter is already in such small pieces.
Now stir in the cream and buttermilk just until mixed. The dough will look rough and shaggy but will pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Sprinkle your counter top with a nice dusting of flour and spoon your dough on top.
Gently shape the dough into a rectangle and roll it to about 1″ thick.
Sprinkle the dough with half the cheese mixture.
Fold the dough up into thirds like you would a letter.
Roll the dough out to about 1″thick. Repeat sprinkling the rest of the cheese, fold and roll to 1 1/2″ thick.
Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 12 equal squares. Or get fancy and use your round biscuit cutter.
Transfer the biscuits to a parchment lined or buttered baking sheet and brush the tops with a little cream.
Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes until golden on the tops.
Enjoy in whatever manner you prefer. With homemade peach jam and a side of homemade bacon (recipe from the same cookbook) and Conecuh sausage. Or make a bacon or sausage biscuit sandwich.
How ever you enjoy them, just promise me you will make these biscuits ASAP!
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a sheet pan with parchment or brush with butter. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together to combine. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients. Blend the butter and dry ingredients with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in the cream and buttermilk and stir just until combined and dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Pat into a rectangle and sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll the dough to 1″ thick. Sprinkle the dough with half of the cheese mixture. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and roll again to 1″ thick. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and fold into thirds and roll to 1 1/2″ thick. Cut the dough into 12 squares (3×4) and place 2″ apart on the prepared pan. Lightly brush the tops with the remaining heavy cream. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, turning the pan halfway through baking, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving warm. *We have used other cheeses in this recipe with success (Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, etc.). **I have substituted half-and-half for the entirety of the heavy cream with perfectly tasty results. We couldn’t really tell a difference so consider subbing if you are trying to be healthier ;)- Adapted from The Ravenous Pig: Seasons of Florida.Gruyere Biscuits
Susie Homemaker, MD 