Cheese Biscuits with Garlic Brown Butter and Sage
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh, chopped sage
- 1 cup buttermilk, plus extra for brushing
- 2 cups shredded cheese blend of Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Provolone*
- Coarse or flaked sea salt, for topping
- 1/4 cup salted butter, for topping
- 9 small sage leaves, for topping
Instructions:
- Make the garlic brown butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic. Let cook until the butter turns brown, and there are brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Make sure to stir from time to time to prevent the garlic from burning. Removef rom the heat immediately once the butter browns and pour into separate bowl to cool.
- Place brown butter in the fridge for 2 hours or the freezer for 20-30 minutes until it is completely solidified again.
- Make the biscuits. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sage. Place the bowl in the freezer while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. I like to use a stainless steel bowl as it gets very cold, quickly.
- Take your solid brown butter out of the fridge or freezer and use a knife to cut it into small cubes. You may also just be able to use a spoon to scoop it out of the bowl you cooled it in, and it will break apart into small pieces as you spoon it out.
- Add the cold butter to your cold flour mixture, using a fork or your hands to mix it all together until you have a crumbly mixture with pea-sized bits.
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix with a large spoon or your hands just until it starts to come together into a very shaggy dough.
- Add 1 cup of the cheese and mix just a bit to incorporate. There should still be streaks of flour, and it should be a shaggy mess at this point.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands and press the dough into a large rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold the dough in thirds by folding one side into the center and then the other side on top. Turn the dough horizontally and press into another 1 inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding and turning two more times for a total of 3 folds. Flatten to 1 inch thickness once more, but this time it should be a square.
- Cut the biscuit dough into 9 even squares by pressing straight down on a pastry cutter or straight edged knife.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and divide the remaining 1 cup of cheese into 9 small piles of cheese on the parchment. They should be about an inch apart.
- Place the cut biscuits on top of the cheese on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little extra buttermilk and sprinkle with some coarse or flaked sea salt. Place the tray of biscuits in the fridge for 20 minutes while you heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bake biscuits at 425 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown all over.
- Make the crispy sage butter. You can serve the biscuits as is, or make the crispy sage butter. Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook in bubbling butter for about 3 minutes. Brush tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and garnish with a crispy sage leaf.