In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree
Last week I put up a post featuring homemade mayonnaise and pimiento cheese, and in just a few days it is one of my most visited posts in the short history of this site. Little did anyone know, the cheese was only the start of something bigger. I had plans for this cheese. It was to be part of a creation that came to me in a dream, kind of like when Coleridge wrote Kublai Khan, except that I wasn’t taking opium, at least, not that week. It was to be a super Southern awesomely good biscuit treat… Garlic Cheddar Biscuits with Pimiento Cheese and Country Ham.
My favorite “New South cuisine” restaurant, Soby’s, has these fantastic garlic cheddar biscuits that I’ve been craving since I received their cookbook as a gift. When the idea for this biscuit sandwich came to me, and then I fortuitously saw the cookbook in my living room, I had that divine aha! moment and was off and running.
Located in Greenville, SC, Soby’s was among the first of its kind in town, in what is now a popular upscale genre. Atlanta has it’s fair share of these establishments, actually, South City Kitchen’s menu always reminds me of Soby’s. The “New South” theme isn’t quite so new anymore, but it definitely isn’t tired either. Comfort food will always remain popular, and if you promote fresh ingredients and unique spins on old classics, the foodies will always be interested. Soby’s introduced me to this mix of comfort and quality with their meatloaf, and I’ve loved it ever since.
Eleven years and many great meals later, Soby’s remains quite popular and is still a destination that I always enjoy when I visit my family. Through the years I’ve been lucky to meet much of team behind Table 301. Chef Rodney Freidank, sommelier Danny Baker, and owner Carl Sobocinski are great people, with a lot of passion for their trade. In my mind they have played an important part in cuisine in Greenville and have “nudged” the collective palate of Greenville forward through their handful of unique and thoughtful restaurants. I still love visiting their restaurants, with the hopes that one of these guys will stop by the table. It’s always fun to hear what’s up Carl’s sleeve, day dream about Danny’s latest wine trip, or perhaps receive an exciting amuse from Rodney.
Meeting the people behind a restaurant always makes the experience more enjoyable to me, the meal becomes a much more personal experience. I often end up learning interesting things about the development of a dish, directional intent of the menu, or maybe I just pick up a tidbit about a new ingredient they’ve started using. Ask questions of your server or chef next time you visit a restaurant, chances are, they are more than happy to talk about it.
Anyways, enough sentimental jib jab, let’s get to some pictures of the food.
Above I’ve put most of the ingredients in the food processor: bread flour, baking powder, nutmeg, granulated garlic, and shortening. Pulse it a bit until it is mixed well. I had to use a rubber spatula a few times to push the dry ingredients off the side down into the mix.
Next I grated a little more than 1/2 cup of Cabot white aged cheddar.
Gently mix the cheese with the dry ingredients, buttermilk, and cheese. Then scoop it out onto a greased pan.
They went in the oven for about 14 minutes (recipe called for 10, but 10 wasn’t enough for me), and in the meantime I melted some butter and mixed in garlic, salt, and paprika. The recipe called for melting the butter separately, brushing the biscuits, then sprinkling the seasonings, but I decided to go this route for some reason.
I also had time to cook up some country ham. I put them on the skillet on high heat, added about 1/2 cup of water, then cooked until the water was completely gone. Flip the ham halfway through. I’ve seen some people use Coca-Cola instead of water.
Here are the biscuits with the butter/seasoning mixture brushed on them.
Finally I broke up a few biscuits, added the ham, then a layer of my pimiento cheese.
They were fantastic, everything I had hoped they would be. Fresh cheesy/garlic biscuits, with salty warm ham, and fresh pimiento cheese…yum. This could be a great tailgate food, breakfast, or otherwise just a delicious snack. Plus I had a dozen leftover biscuits which were still quite tasty after being warmed again for a few minutes in the oven. The biscuits and the cheese only take 10-15 minutes prep time each, and the ingredients aren’t expensive, give it a go!
Soby’s Garlic and Cheddar Biscuits
Reprinted with Permission from Table 301 – Cookbook Available Here
2 cups Flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
1 tsp Table Salt
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Tbs Granulated Garlic
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup Buttermilk
2 Tbs Paprika
1 Tbs Kosher Salt
1 Tbs Granulated Garlic
4 Tbs Butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a baking pan. Place the flour, baking powder, table salt, nutmeg, and garlic into a food processor. Add the shortening and using the pulse button, work the shortening into the dry ingredients until they become crumbly. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and mix in the cheese and buttermilk with your hands. Do not overwork the dough. Drop the dough from an ice cream scoop onto the greased baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Mix the paprika, kosher salt, and garlic together and reserve. When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush them with the melted butter and sprinkle lightly with the spice mixture. Makes 12 biscuits.
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