Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Parmesan Pepper Lemon Biscuits

Perfect Pairing: Caramelized onions, prosciutto and arugula


Yesterday I wrote about the wonderful evening I recently had at Ravinia seeing the Gipsy Kings.  When I was creating the menu I wanted to include a sandwich but not your everyday turkey sandwich.  I think one of the most important parts of the sandwich is the bread, so that is where I focused my time and energy.  I found this biscuit recipe in a Food Network Star cookbook.


This was my first attempt at biscuit making and it was pretty darn simple.  You don’t even need a rolling pin!  I am a big believer in having a small bowl or measuring cup of flour on standby so if my hands are a mess I can add flour to the surface without reaching back into the flour canister.  Make sure to flour your biscuit cutter before cutting the dough.  If you don’t have an “official” biscuit cutter you can use a clean tin can.  No one will know the difference and you will feel very resourceful!

I used a combination of parmigiano-reggiano and romano cheese.  I used a higher-end parmesan to grate and a romano cheese that was on sale for the diced portion.  My diced pieces were about the size of small beans.  Don’t be shy with the black pepper!  The combination of salty cheese, spicy pepper and fresh lemon zest is really great.  I love how the diced pieces melt around the outside of the biscuit.


The perfect pairing for this recipe was the yummy combination of salty prosciutto, peppery arugula and sweet caramelized onions.  It made a pretty tasty sandwich! 



Biscuit Ingredients:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder 
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest 
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 
  • 1/2 cup diced parmigiano-reggiano cheese 
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese  
  • 3/4 cup milk
Sandwich Ingredients:
  • Prosciutto
  • Arugula
  • Caramelized onions

Biscuit Directions:
-Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven
-Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
-Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, pepper and salt in large bowl
-Cut cold butter in small pieces and rub into flour mixture using fingers until it completely combined, rub in remaining butter until it looks like coarse meal
-Scatter grated and diced cheese and toss with a spatula, stir in milk to make a loose dough
-Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick, fold dough into thirds (like a business letter) and pat lightly into an 8x5 inch rectangle
-Flour a biscuit cutter (2-3 inches) and cut as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, place on baking sheet
-Combine scraps and cut biscuits until no dough remains
-Bake until lightly brown and puffy, about 15 minutes
-Cool on rack

Sandwich Pairing Directions:
-Slice cooked biscuit and layer with prosciutto, arugula and caramelized onions*

*Caramelized onions can be made by cooking 3 large onions, sliced, in a skillet over medium heat with 1 Tb. olive oil and 1 Tb. sugar until completely browned

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