 |
| The finished biscuits complete with basil garnish. |
After making what felt like a gourmet meal of poached chicken breasts in a lemon herb bath with an herb sauce, I had a ton of basil left over. After making pesto and still having extra, I flipped through my trusty Tassajara Bread book and found this recipe for Basil and Parmesan biscuits. There is something really wonderful about adding ingredients (especially fresh ones) to a batter or dough. The basil provided a beautiful pop of color, and also served as a reminder that my favorite color, which I call spring green, would be popping up all over the place shortly in the form of grasses, leaves, and trees.
*
These biscuits are delicious, but are a little heavy to have in the morning. Perhaps a different combination of cheese and herbs would be more appropriate for the coffee hour, but these are quite wonderful with dinner or lunch. You can make these into small sandwiches, or serve alongside a soup, or as a dinner roll, and they are especially good with a fried egg or two, topped with pesto and a drizzle of good olive oil. One of the things I love most about this bread book, is that it gives you the basic tools to master, from which you can start to improvise. I think the combination of gouda and parsley would be nice, or perhaps cilantro and mozzarella or jack, and even gruyere with tarragon or marjoram would be lovely too.
*
 |
| Adding the eggs to the well inside the flour butter mixture. |
 |
| Mixing up the eggs with a fork, incorporating a little flour at a time. |
 |
| Mixing the dough until just combined |
 |
Folding the dough for flaky layers |
 |
| Close up |
 |
| On the sheet, ready to bake |
 |
| Ta-dah! |
#48 Basil and Parmesan Cheese Flaky Biscuits
Ingredients for Flaky Biscuits #47 (here)
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
Follow the directions for Flaky Biscuits, stirring the grated cheese and minced basil leaves into the flour-butter mixture before adding the eggs and milk. Follow the same procedure for shaping and baking the biscuits.
-Other cheeses (cheddar, provolone, smoked) and herbs (rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme) may also be added.
