This is a great recipe from the great Mr Gordon Ramsay - I saw him make this as a lunch on his recent daytime show where he cooked with his kids, and really fancied giving it a go.
I don't usually think of soup as a "dinner" meal, and would rather have something a bit more substantial - but this chowder and biscuit combo looked filling and delicious, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I would even go as far to say that these American-Style 'biscuits' (think pimped up cheese scones!) are the best things I've EVER baked taste-wise.
American Style Cheese Biscuits
Makes 12-13
INGREDIENTS
- 375g plain flour
- 11/2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 100g extra mature Cheddar cheese grated
- 600ml double cream
- 30g butter, melted
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC/gas mark 3. Line one or more baking sheets with baking parchment.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, add the salt and a good grinding of pepper, then stir in the cheese. Make a well in the middle, pour in the cream and stir gently with a wooden spoon, mixing until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for a few seconds. Don’t overwork it or the dough will not rise.
- With a lightly floured rolling pin and work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 2cm. Using a 6cm cutter, stamp out 12 circles, dipping the cutter in flour between each cut so that the dough is easier to remove.
- Place the circles on the prepared baking sheet(s), spacing them at least 2cm apart as they will spread during cooking. Set aside to rest on the tray for 10 minutes before baking.
- Brush the top of the biscuits with melted butter and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack and serve warm or cold.
(Or you can see the original recipe with Kitchen Friendly printing version here.)
the dough
cut and resting, ready for the oven
fresh from the oven, cooling slightly
yum!!
Bacon, Sweetcorn and Potato Chowder
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
- Olive oil, for frying
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
- 1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 x 375g tin creamed corn
- 1 x 200g tin sweetcorn, drained
- 750ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 500ml whole milk
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Place a large saucepan or hob-proof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add a dash of oil and fry the onion until softened. Add the bacon and continue to cook until lightly coloured. Stir in the bay leaves.
- Add the potatoes and leek and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the leek is soft.
- Stir in the creamed corn and sweetcorn, then pour in the stock and milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely soft and the flavour well developed.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve in warm bowls.
the veggies and bacon sweating down
liquid added - time to reduce
all ready for some biscuit dunking of the American variety...
the finished dinner - sooooo scrummy!
The meal comes in at 986 calories in total:
339 calories for 1/4 of the chowder
324 calories per biscuit
(hence them being made from purely flour, cheese and double cream! hahaha! you HAVE to love Americans!)
It is however WELL WORTH the calories, and obviously can be lightened with less soup, only one biscuit etc!
Happy baking lovelies!
Mrs B
xxx
