Cheddar and Chive Biscuits
3 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
Melted butter
1 pound sliced cooked ham
Preheat oven to 450º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pieces are pea-sized.
Stir in buttermilk, Cheddar cheese and chives until dough forms; gently knead on a floured surface just until dough holds together. Pat dough into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut biscuits with a floured 1-3/4 inch round cutter; arrange on prepared baking sheet. Bake biscuits until golden, 10-15 minutes; brush with melted butter the last few minutes. Serve biscuits with ham. Makes about 24 biscuits.
Holiday Salad
2 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon prepared honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bag mixed salad greens (5 oz.)
1 Braeburn apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Cook bacon until crisp; drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of dripping from skillet.
Saute´ shallots in drippings until soft, about 1 minutes. Whisk in apple juice concentrate, oil, mustard, and cinnamon; season with salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat; let dressing cool slightly.
Toss together greens, apple, pecans, blue cheese, and bacon. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve salad immediately. Makes 8 servings.
Apple Pie Bars
Dough and Streusel:
Combine:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3 – 4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filing:
3 1/2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 10-inch springform pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray.
For dough and streusel, combine 2 cups flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Place 3/4 cup of the mixture in a second bowl; set aside for streusel. Cut cold butter and milk into remaining dough ingredients until clumps form. Pat dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake base until set and golden at the edges, 15-20 minutes. Stir melted butter into reserve streusel mixture until sandy.
Filling: toss together apples, granulated sugar, heavy cream, 1 tablespoon flour, vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Arrange filling evenly over hot dough; top with streusel. Bake bars until apples are soft and streusel is golden, 30-40 minutes. Let bars cool at least 30 minutes before removing side of pan. Cut bars into wedges and garnish with whipped cream. Makes 16 servings.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
