Bacon and Goat Cheese Biscuits

I don't know where the idea of fancy breakfasts on Sunday mornings came from, but now that I have Sundays off (until we hire and train a new baker), I'm enjoying it.  Last week, I went to IHOP for the first time in ages.  Ended up finishing the combo for lunch, but it was very nice.

This week, I decided to eat in.  Besides, you try going to the LAX 24hr IHOP at 6am on a Sunday and see what kinds of crazy people you run into.  Actually, the one on Wilshire is scarier, and I know someone brave enough to work the night shift there. The service staff was very nice and I watched the NutriBullet infomercial in Spanish.  Watching anything about healthy food at IHOP - in any language -  is like some kind of real-world oxymoron.

I had bacon, I had some goat cheese, and this sounded like a really good idea.  I found a recipe for drop biscuits on Handle the Heat and decided they were necessary.  I subbed in regular flour for bread flour (and then realized I was almost out of flour and needed to get more before the tea) and sour milk for buttermilk.  It's all about what you have and what's on the verge of turning.  There's no sense in buying an ingredient if the portion you don't need for the first recipe goes in the trash.  I'm not getting a quart of buttermilk when the recipe calls for half that and I have some in the fridge a week past its date.

As for the onion, I'm so glad the green onions are in the back yard.  I was out there at 5 am on a Sunday in my robe with a flashlight pulling onions because I didn't think to do it the night before.  They definitely add a kick and blend very well with the other flavors.  Don't skip the onions.

*6 slices of bacon
3-3/4 C flour (yes, that much)
1-1/2 Tb baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, cut into chunks
*4 oz crumbled goat cheese
*1/4 C finely chopped green onion
*1-3/4 C buttermilk or sour milk (milk w/1 Tb white vinegar in it, let sit 5 min)

1.  Can be done in advance: preheat oven to 400º.  Line a baking sheet with foil to make cleanup easier.  Lay bacon on sheet and bake for 5 minutes.  Turn slices with tongs and put back in oven until crisp, less than 10 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, crumble and set aside.

2.  Crank up the oven to 425º.  Line another sheet pan with parchment or silpat.  Unless you already did the dishes, the bacon one is kinda gross.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs or really lumpy flour.  Stir in bacon, cheese, and onions.  Slowly stir in milk until mixture is thoroughly wet, but not smooth.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  You don't want to overwork the batter, or the biscuits will be tough.

3.  Drop by giant soup-spoon-fuls onto baking sheet.  Leave a little room for them to expand, but it's ok if they touch while baking.  I ended up with more than 12, so I probably under-portioned.  Bake for 14-16 minutes, until medium gold and well-risen.  Allow to cool a few minutes before serving so no one burns their mouths.  After that, it's open season.  Serve with butter on the side.

Makes about 12

Difficulty rating :)