Biscuits with leeks, gruyere cheese and amaranth flour
I’ve been throwing this idea around in my head for awhile. Ever since I made Kim Boyce’s Muscovado Sugar Cake (http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/baked-good/baking-with-whole-grains-muscovado-sugar-cake-cookbook-recipe-115386) and caught my first whiff of fragrant amaranth flour (http://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-amaranth-flour.html).
What would happen if this grassy amaranth flour was paired with earthy leeks, in some sort of buttery bready concoction? Like, say, biscuits? Ooh la la.
Here's what I came up with. I used a smitten kitchen method for prepping the leeks (http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/leek-bread-pudding/) and used the basic recipe from Crumbs On My Keyboard for the biscuits (http://crumbsonmykeyboard.com/2008/05/02/lemon-thyme-pencil-leek-biscuits/). And decided to add gruyere, just because.
More photos: http://annagaz.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/biscuits-with-leeks-gruyere-cheese-and-amaranth-flour/
Ingredients
- Leeks:
- 1 cup leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and chopped, rinsed and drained
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Freshly ground pepper
- Biscuits:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup amaranth flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons cold butter cut into small cubes
- Prepared leeks (above)
- 1/2 – 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, position a rack in the center of the oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium-sized pan, saute the leeks over medium-high heat with a little cooking spray and a pinch of kosher salt until softened (about 5 minutes). Lower the heat to medium-low, stir in the butter, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pepper and more salt to taste. Remove from pan and set aside.
In a medium/large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or a food processor, or your fingers). Gently stir in the cheese and the prepared leeks. Pour in the buttermilk and fold until just combined.
On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough four or five times, adding a bit more flour if the dough sticks. Roll the dough until about 1/2 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Using anything with a 2-inch-ish circumference (I used an old jar), cut out the biscuit rounds and transfer to the prepared baking sheet (around 12-15 rounds). Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
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Comments
Thanks! And I believe it is a Shun knife, but it actually belongs to my roommate.
This sounds delicious... I've never had, let alone whiffed, amaranth flour. I must try it!
I love your photos. And is that a Shun knife? I want.