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Rosemary-Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits With Bacon Gravy and Toma
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Servings: 10
This recipe is best at the height of summer when the tomatoes are huge, red, and juicy beyond belief. If it isn't tomato season, I'd recommend omitting them. I serve this for dinner with a sweet potato hash/fries, or sunny side up eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast...
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
4 tablespoons shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
5 slices bacon (we like thick cut)
1/4 cup flour
2 -3 cups milk
salt and pepper
2 tomatoes, sliced thick
salt and pepper
chives, minced (optional)
parsley, minced (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450*.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Cut in chilled shortening (or rub in with fingers) until pea-sized lumps form. Stir in herbs and cheese.
3. Whisk together buttermilk and egg and add to flour. Gently stir with a fork until just combined. Don't over mix or you'll end up with hard biscuits.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Pat down gently to a 1/2 inch thick circle or square. Using a floured biscuit cutter, press down and cut out biscuits. ( Do not twist cutter to remove the biscuits. My mom always said that would make the biscuits not rise and she made the most amazing biscuits - so that is still how I do it. Just straight down, and straight up with the cutter.) You can reknead the scraps to form more biscuits, but the will not be as tender as the first ones. I usually just kind of pat the scraps into little biscuit shapes. I get 8-10 out of this recipe total.
5. Place on an ungreased sheet pan and bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, fry bacon over medium heat until just crispy. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel. Reserve the drippings in the pan.
7. Add flour to the bacon grease and whisk til smooth. Cook for a minute or so to get rid of the raw flour taste. Do not burn the flour though -
8. Add milk all at once, whisking like crazy the whole time. Heat til bubbling and simmer 5-10 minutes until the gravy begins to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Cut open your biscuit and top each with a thick slice of tomato. Season liberally with salt and pepper-tomatoes ALWAYS need salt and pepper if you ask me - Ladle over a heaping (or not so heaping) helping of your gravy. Crumble the bacon over the top, sprinkle with chives and/or parsley and additional salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy!
By RecipeOfHealth.com