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Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

Tasso and Cheese Biscuits with Pepper Jelly

Experiment with your favorite pepper jelly flavor. The hotter the better. The dough freezes well and can be made in advance.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp  cup sugar
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup tasso ham, finely minced
¾ cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tbsp melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, blend cold butter into the dry mix until flour resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Mix in cheese and ham.

Separately, blend together the buttermilk and egg and add to dry mixture. Blend the dough. Do not over mix.

Fold dough onto floured surface and roll to one-inch thickness. Cut biscuits using a 1 1 /2-inch cookie cutter. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheet and brush the tops with melted butter. Bake15-18 minutes.

Yield: 30-36 small biscuits

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