Food & Drink

Chive and Cheddar Ham Biscuits with Honey Mustard

Makes 16

A holiday ham tradition

December 20, 2013

Looking for a holiday ham recipe? Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough’s book Ham: An Obsession With the Hindquarter has some of the best.

Their Chive and Cheddar Ham Biscuits with Honey Mustard are “something of a Tidewater tradition,” they write, “often served the morning after a big feast.” It’s an irresistible pass-around holiday dish, and highlights the ham’s salty richness with tangy sweet mustard and pillowy chive and Cheddar-flecked homemade biscuits.

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup smooth Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. coarse-grain mustard
- 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. granulated white sugar
- 1 1/4-oz. package or 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warmed water, between 105°F and 115°F
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting and more as necessary
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 2 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp. minced chives or the green parts of scallions
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. regular or low-fat buttermilk
- 4 to 6 oz. cooked leftover country style ham, sliced as thinly as possible and preferably warmed

Preparation

Mix both mustards, brown sugar, honey, and vinegar in a small bowl until spreadable but uniform. Set aside.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar and the yeast over the warm water in a medium bowl. Set aside until frothy, about 5 minutes. If for any reason the yeast mixture doesn’t foam, throw it out and start again. Either the yeast had gone bad or the water wasn’t the right temperature.

Meanwhile, set the rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 400 degrees.

Stir both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl until you can’t tell the sugar or baking powder from the other parts of the mixture.

Dollop the shortening into the bowl, then cut it into the mixture with a fork or a pastry cutter, pressing the shortening through the tines and into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with no big chunks of shortening anywhere and the dry ingredients uniform in texture.

Use a fork to stir in the stir in the cheese and chives, then add the buttermilk and the foamy mixture. Keep stirring until a soft dough forms, adding additional all purpose flour as necessary to keep the dough pliable.

Dust a clean, dry work surface with a little flour; dump the dough onto it. Knead lightly just until smooth, about 1 minute. If you want to make the dough in advance, prepare it to this point, then seal in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Take out as little or as much as needed, and let that amount come to room temperature (about 20 minutes on the counter), then roll and bake as directed.

Lightly flour your work surface again; lightly flour the dough and a rolling pin. Roll to about ½ inch thick; cut into 2-inch circles using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or a thick-rimmed drinking glass.

Place the rounds at least 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool on baking tray for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and continue cooling 5 minutes more.

Split each biscuit in half, then spread a little honey mustard on the cut sides. Place a little ham on the cut side of the bottom half, then top with the other half of the biscuit.

Recipe from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough’s cookbook Ham: An Obsession With the Hindquarter.