Here in Minnesota, our farmers markets have been up and running for a few weeks now, and even though we may be behind other parts of the country in terms of what’s available because of our loooooong winters, it is exactly those loooooong winters that cause people like me (and you, I would guess) to get a little breathless and grabby at the sight of a bundle of fresh, green, locally grown anything.
In the absence of more colorful splashy things like berries, tomatoes, and stone fruit, the myriad greens and slightly purple characters we’re seeing now get to take center stage for some well deserved adulation. Baby lettuces, asparagus, rhubarb, ramps, scallions and radishes are all getting to strut their stuff and I, for one, am riveted.
I bought a beautiful bunch of scallions at the Kingfield Farmers' Market that look like big brawny country cousins to the skinny meek citified supermarket scallions. And not only do my scallions look robust, they taste robust – somehow more oniony, with a little more kick. Of course, over the course of the week I chopped them up and put them into salads, on pizzas, and into a vegetable soup; but it was a big bunch (and did I mention burly?), so I needed another way to use them up. When I stumbled on this recipe for Blue Cheese Scallion Drop Biscuits, I could practically hear the scallions cheering and doing chest bumps in the fridge.
Everything about this recipe sounded right to me. Blue cheese. Someday I’ll tell you about how much I love and adore blue cheese. Scallion. “Dude! We’re about to get mixed with blue cheese. Hoowa!” Drop Biscuit. Someday I’ll tell you about how much I love baking things that don’t require baking skills like rolling, sifting, and uh, measuring.
These were a cinch to make and they are absolutely adorable when they come out of the oven. Sort of nubby and chunky, they look like something hobbits would eat. I sliced them open, slipped in a little velvety prosciutto and served them with some simply dressed baby greens and a glass of wine for a perfect light summer dinner. I also froze some unbaked biscuits, because there will come a time when I will pop them out of the freezer and into the oven to serve warm alongside an over-easy fried egg and some crispy bacon -- and the angels will sing. I tell you, the angels will sing.
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Blue Cheese Scallion Drop Biscuits
From Smitten Kitchen as adapted from Gourmet
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in blue cheese and scallions. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.
Drop dough in 12 equal mounds about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 16 to 20 minutes.
Biscuits are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, drop them onto your baking sheet, freeze them until they are firm, and place them in a freezer bag or container until you’re ready to bake them. They can be baked while still frozen (straight from the freezer); you’ll just want to add a few minutes to the baking time.
Gabriela Lambert gave up practicing law to stay home with her three kids and live a life of leisure. Given the choice between salty and sweet, she'll hit the salty every time. Given the choice between pig and cow, she'll clutch her chest and whimper that it’s like asking her to pick her favorite child. On her birthday, she's most likely to choose a trip to the farmers' market with her family, but that’s one of her favorite things to do any day. In addition to minding her brood, she spends her time doing yoga, driving around in her minivan, and blogging at www.peevishmama.com. Her last post for Simple, Good and Tasty was There's a Lot to Celebrate at The Black Forest Inn.
