These small savories are based on a recipe by Claudia Fleming. They’re super-easy to make and they’re perfect as part of an appetizer spread or just as a quick snack. Think spreading some chive cream-cheese on top or something along those lines.
Some quick notes: you basically need to make a batch of caramelized onions for this recipe, and I don’t think the original recipe calls for enough of them. Next time I make these I’ll use a large onion instead of medium. Same with the cheese: you could increase the amount of cheese by 25 – 50% to make these taste even better. Also note that you need to use frozen, cubed butter, so adjust prep time, as needed.
What you’ll need
- 2T extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 anchovy fillets, minced (I think you could get away with not using these, with no ill effect)
- 0.5t red pepper flakes
- 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 0.5 cups + 1T heavy cream
- 226g (8 oz or 1.5 cups + 2T) all-purpose flour
- 1T baking powder
- 0.75t kosher salt
- 85g (3 oz or 6T) unsalted butter, cut into 0.75-inch cubes and frozen
- 0.5t ground pepper
- 71g (2.5 oz or 0.75 cup) Gruyere cheese, finely grated
- 30g (1 oz or 0.25 cups) Parmigiano, divided
What to do
Caramelize the onions by adding the oil, anchovies and red pepper flakes to a large frypan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, letting them slowly cook for about 45 minutes; stir them every few minutes for even cooking. When they’re softened and darkened, let them cool before chopping them. Put the chopped onions into a small bowl, mixing in the cream before letting them cool for about 15 minutes.
For the dough, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse it a few times to mix everything up. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture has the texture of a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the cheeses, reserving half the Parmigiano for sprinkling on the biscuits before baking. Add the onion/cream mixture and gently mix until everything is evenly distributed and no dry flour remains.
When you’re ready to bake, begin heating your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet-pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a flat 8” X 8” square. Cut the square into equal quarters with a bench scraper or large knife, then stack the quarters on top of each other.
Gently flatten the stack of dough and with a rolling pin gently roll it into as much of a square as possible about 0.5” to .075” thick. Trim off the jagged edges and collect them into a ball to roll out again. Cut the rolled dough into 1” to 1.5” squares and gently move them to the prepared sheet-pan. They don’t have to be spaced very far apart, as they will rise more than expand horizontally. Reroll any scraps and cut out squares till you’re out of dough.
Sprinkle the cut-out dough with the reserved Parmigiano and bake for 6 minutes before rotating the pan in the oven and baking for 7 or so more minutes. As the 7-minute mark approaches, check on the biscuits every minute or so until they’re golden on top.
Remove from the oven and let them cool a bit before serving. Can be served warm or room-temperature.
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