Of Muses and Meringues

What’s past is prologue

My oldest daughter was home from university for a mini two-day break earlier this week. She was busy studying and working on essays, but we carved out a little time to bake together.

I’ve been baking with the girls since they were young enough that they both needed chairs to work at the counter. Our favourite recipe was chocolate chip cookies – in those days, “equal division of labour” meant one girl poured the chocolate chips into the batter and the other stirred them in. My daughter remembers being proud the day I decided she was old enough to crack the egg by herself.

Now, of course, she’s taller than I am and stands by my side when we bake together. I’ve been wanting to try these biscuits for a while, and it was a perfect time to try the recipe. I thought they were wonderful as an accompaniment to soup. And my daughter loved them so much that when she went back to school, she asked me for the recipe, and baked them for a potluck on Thursday night.

Bacon Cheddar Green Onion Biscuits
(adapted from Brown Sugar Kitchen by Tanya Holland)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or less)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
3 green onions, white parts only, chopped
heavy cream for brushing
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add chilled butter and cut in until the butter is pea sized or smaller. Drizzle in enough buttermilk to moisten the dough (I used about 1 1/4 cups) and mix until it just forms a ball. Divide the dough into thirds.
In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, and green onions.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to an 11” x 8 1/2” rectangle and sprinkle with half the cheese mixture. Roll out another piece of dough and layer on top of the first piece. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Roll out the remaining piece of dough and layer it on top. Gently roll out the dough layers to make a 12” x 10” rectangle. (Note: all sizes are approximate. My shapes were imperfect, to say the least.)
Using a 2” cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and set them on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops with cream. Bake until they just start to turn golden but before the bottoms start to brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
To make ahead, store in an airtight container at room temperature for a day and reheat in toaster oven.

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Comments

  2. Dear Beth, I remember the days with a chair at the side of the counter for my kids too. Cracking eggs and picking the shells from the batter! The times certainly does fly.
    I am glad that you found time to bake together and the biscuits sound wonderful!! Blessings, Catherine

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  4. First of all, I love the title of this post! And these biscuits look and sound sensational. The fact that you made them with your daughter can only make them more delicious.

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  7. Beth, sometimes there is nothing better than baking with the kids at home…love that you told the story of how you used to bake choclate chip cookies with your daughters and that you got a chance to bake these lovely looking biscuits with one of your daughters. The recipe sounds delightful!

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  8. Doing things with your kids makes the bonds stronger plus creates memories that will accompany them for all their lives! Delicious biscuits full of feelings!

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  14. I love these – must be the bacon? I love everything with bacon. But it has so many savory components that it is a winner. Sigh – remember baking with the kids as they stood on chairs. Now they bake in their own kitchens. But I smile that they do that – because they found the enjoyment in baking and cooking!

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  15. What a lovely thing for you and your daughters to do! I cook and bake with my four-year-old sometimes, but not as much as I always think I'd like to. I love that this is something you've always had together.

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