I
come from a pure line of farmers. My great-grandfather had a 178-acre dairy
farm that my grandmother still lives on today. Needless to say, I love really
good, rich cream and well-made cheese…and I take every opportunity to use them
in my recipes, especially on special occasions.
These simple, but fancy looking biscuits use Wisconsin cream and Wisconsin Gruyère
Cheddar Cheese—in the biscuits and underneath—which makes them extra golden and tender with the most delightful crispy-cheesy “feet.” They are ideal for entertaining.
I use a 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter, so the biscuits are just a couple bites each for
guests. They make great party sandwiches paired with sliced roast beef and jus,
ham and a touch of mustard, or warm turkey with gravy.
Thecrème fraîche is just two ingredients, though it takes 24
hours to make. I like to make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator for
up to two weeks. If pressed for time, use very cold Wisconsin heavy whipping
cream instead.
Find this and other biscuit recipes: https://www.chadwickboydlifestyle.com/recipes/category/biscuits
Makes
12 biscuits with a 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter
Ingredients
For the crème fraîche
3/4 cup Wisconsin heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons buttermilk or
the liquid skimmed from the top of yogurt
For the biscuits
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more
for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups grated Wisconsin Wood River Cheddar Gruyère Cheese,
divided
6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter (do
not cut into tablespoons, keep together as a stick)
3/4 cup homemade crème fraiche (see recipe above)
3 tablespoons
very cold water
NOTE: Use 1/4 cups very cold Wisconsin heavy whipping
cream instead of the crème fraiche and water.
Directions
To
make the crème fraîche
In a glass jar fitted with a lid, add the Wisconsin heavy whipping cream
and buttermilk or liquid yogurt cultures. Seal the lid and shake for 10-15
seconds. Let rest on the kitchen counter at room temperature for 8-24 hours. It
should be very thick. Shake it again, then refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
To make the biscuits
In a wide, large mixing bowl, whisk
together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Mix in ¾ cup
of the Wisconsin cheese with a wooden spoon.
Drop the butter in the bowl and
toss in the flour mixture to coat. On the large holes of a box grater, grate
the butter into the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, carefully shake the
butter pieces in the mixture to disperse them evenly throughout.
Add the homemade Wisconsin crème fraiche to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup,
then the water and stir to thin out. If still too thick, stir in another
tablespoon or two of cold water. Alternatively, use 1 cup of Wisconsin heavy whipping
cream (no water) instead of the homemade crème fraîche (see note in
ingredients). Pour
into the bowl and stir the dough with the wooden spoon until it just comes together.
If still a bit dry, add very cold water one tablespoon at a time until the
dough is moistened, but not wet and tacky. Chill the dough uncovered for 20
minutes.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper. Starting at one corner of the pan, place the 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter on
the parchment and add 1 tablespoon of the remaining 3/4 cup of Wisconsin cheese in
the center of the cutter. Lift the cutter and gently spread the cheese out
about a 1/4-of-an-inch more with your fingers to form the cheesy feet. Repeat
this 15 more times, creating 4 rows of 4 piles of cheese.
Remove the dough from the
refrigerator and turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. With a
floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 1-inch thick rectangle. Sprinkle
the top with flour. Fold like a letter, lifting 1/3 of the dough from the right over the center,
then 1/3 from the left over top the two
layers of dough. Roll out again to 1-inch thick rectangle. Repeat this process
two times. Sprinkle with more flour as needed throughout the process.
Flour the biscuit cutter and
press straight down through the dough–do not twist–to cut out the biscuits.
Place the biscuits on top of each pile of cheese. Gather the remaining dough
scraps and roll out to 1-inch thick. Flour if needed. Continue cutting out biscuits
until you have 16 on the pan.
Bake 16 minutes, or until the
biscuits are golden brown and the cheesy feet are crispy. Remove from the oven.
Let rest on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.
Serve.
