Saturday, January 21, 2012

Cheddar 3-2-1 Drop Biscuits + Thyme Scrambled Eggs & Smoky Tomatoes

A big breakfast is something everyone needs every now and again. Sure, this biscuit sandwich is portable, but it's so much better to actually sit down, have coffee, eat without rushing, and enjoy the time to relax. All three components, the cheddar biscuit, the eggs with thyme, and the smoky tomatoes, provide big flavors for your next big breakfast. This should be plenty for 4 people. The biscuits will go fast!

Cheddar 3-2-1 Drop Biscuits
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 cup milk (more if mixture looks dry)
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening using your fingers until pieces are no larger than a pea. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the cheese and milk. Using a rubber spatula, fold the milk and cheese into the dry ingredients; use as few strokes as possible. The less you stir the dough, the more tender your biscuits will be.
Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop up a 1/4-cup portion of dough and drop it onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough has been used. (You should get about a dozen biscuits from this recipe.) Be sure to leave an inch or so between each biscuit, but don't be too particular about their shape -- drop biscuits are supposed to be rustic. Bake for 15 minutes or until the craggy edges are brown and crispy.
Thyme Scrambled Eggs
1 tablespoon butter
6 eggs
1 tablespoon cream
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (3-4 sprigs)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Maldon salt

Place butter in a cold, non-stick frying pan and then place it over medium heat. Whip the eggs, cream, thyme, and pepper together in a bowl. Once the butter is just melted, add the egg mixture. Stir constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula. It will take about 4-5 minutes for the eggs to be done; it's a relatively slow process, but it yields very creamy eggs. Once the eggs start to come together, add the salt and stir. Serve immediately.
Smoky Tomatoes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon applewood-smoked salt
1/4 teaspoon Maldon salt
4 roma tomatoes (sliced)
Mix spices together in a small bowl. Sprinkle sliced tomatoes with spice mixture. You won't need all of it, but keep it on hand because it's great on everything.

5 comments:

  1. Do you still need someone to test this? We will do "breakfast for dinner" tonight and test it if I hear back that it is still unclaimed.

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  2. yes, please. You are defiantly getting a book!
    The key here is not over mixing. That will yield tender, crunchy on the outside biscuits.

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  3. Oh my GOD, the cheddar biscuits are totally out of this world good! With minimal ingredients, that get it right--sharp cheddar hints, salty and creamy. Yes. I would give an option of using real butter instead of veggie shortening--since there is real butter in the eggs, I think it would be more consistent to use real butter in the biscuits--you could say, the shortening option is for vegans.

    The applewood smoked salt could have a book written about it alone. I felt like I was eating a tomato-bacon hybrid. The mixture of salts, a bit of brown sugar and pepper was mind-blowing. Just the right kick for tomatoes on the side.

    Overall, this recipe only took 30 minutes start to eating at the table. Fast!

    I ended up tossing the rubber spatula and mixing the biscuits gently by hand--more control over incorporating the mixture gently that way. Also, I found I needed a splash more milk to get the biscuits to bind towards the last part of gentle mixing. There was flour ton the bottom that didn't want to stick to the mixture.

    I can see making more of the tomatoes and using for a sandwich the next day.

    The egg mixture was totally easy to make-I put everything in a glass measuring pitcher and whisked. I would have liked the eggs more if they had less yolk, but that is me just being weird because I like eating egg whites more than yolks.I guess anyone looking for more protein and less fat could just take out four yolks and call it good. I would have liked it better that way.

    And---vegans could totally use tofu for the eggs and make a tofu scramble instead of real eggs.

    I want to make more of the biscuits!!!

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  4. I thought this was a very good and savory breakfast (or breakfast for dinner) option. I was unable to find the different kinds of salt, so my tomatoes were not smoky, but still good and a different flavor profile than I am used to with tomatoes.
    I did not use a silpat-lines baking sheet for the biscuits; I used a lightly greased baking sheet. I had to add around a 1/4 cup extra milk because the mixture was too dry. The biscuits were very good,light, and flaky, but I think I would have liked just a bit more cheese. My 9-year old daughter (who thinks she is a foodie) said she thinks it would be excellent with a little garlic, but I think that might be too much with the other flavors.
    I really liked the eggs, the measurements were correct and the flavor was very strong and good. I have never eaten eggs with thyme and I will definitely try it again. The eggs, biscuits, and tomatoes together were a tasty combination and very easy and fast to make.

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  5. CWKK, Thank you so much. Your insight was really helpful. I added a bit about using more milk if the mix looks dry and additionally I revised the part about the baking sheet o include a parchment option for those who don't have a silpat. I hope you'll be inspired to make another recipe. Thank you again, Justin

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