Aged Cheddar Cheese Biscuits with Chive Scrambled Egg Stuffing, Brown Butter Hollandaise Sauce, Almond Bacon Crisps and a Smoothie!

Aged Cheddar Cheese Biscuits with Chive Scrambled Egg Stuffing, Brown Butter Hollandaise Sauce, Almond Bacon Crisps and a Smoothie!


The Strawberry Banana Smoothie 
 2 very ripe bananas, peeled
 1 teaspoon of vanilla
 2 cups of fresh squeezed orange juice
 1 small basket of strawberries, pitted
 2 more cups of orange juice
 the juice and zest of one lime

Blend the bananas, vanilla and the first juice in a high-speed blender. Puree until very smooth then pour into four large decorative glasses. In the same blender puree the remaining ingredients. Pour on top of the banana puree. Garnish the glass with an orange slice, a strawberry fan, a mint sprig or all three!

Note: Try putting some freshly ground nutmeg in the banana mix.

 The Aged Cheddar Cheese Biscuits 
 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
 1 tablespoon of baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
 8 ounces of frozen butter pieces
 1 cup plus 2 ounces of grated aged sharp cheddar cheese
 3/4 cup of milk

Note: For best results chill the flours and bowl of your food processor before making this recipe, cold ingredients help keep the butter suspended after being cut in..

Blend the flours, salt and baking powder together in a food processor. Add the butter pieces and process, cutting the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the cup of cheese and process just until it is stirred together with the flours. Add the milk and process briefly, just until mixed.

Flour your hands, a rolling pin and the work surface. Turn out the biscuit dough and roll to a thickness of 1-1/2 inch thick. Cut out 4 three inch sized circles. Place upside down on an insulated baking sheet and sprinkle each with the remaining cheese. Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until done.

Let cool briefly and serve immediately.

The Brown Butter Hollandaise 
 8 ounces of butter
 3 egg yolks
 the juice and zest of one lemon
 2 ounces of Chardonnay
 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
 coarse sea salt

Brown the butter in a medium saucepot. Melt it over a high heat and continue heating as it boils and the water in it evaporates causing the simmering butter to foam up. Once the water is gone the foam will subside then a second foam will begin to rise. At this point watch carefully, the butter is browning, swirl it gently and look at its color. The milk-fat solids in the bottom will be brown and the butter will have a very pleasing nutty smell. Remove it from the heat and pour the butter into another container to stop its cooking process and to cool it from very hot to room temperature.

Place the yolks, wine, lemon and Tabasco in a copper or stainless steel bowl. Suspend the bowl over a simmering water bath and whisking constantly with a flexible wire whip mix together the ingredients. Continue whisking until the mixture expands and thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Emulsify the Sauce. Slowly at first and speeding up to finish add the room temperature brown butter. Begin by dripping a few drops at a time into the eggs as you whisk continuously. Allow the previous butter to incorporate before adding more. Continue whisking and adding butter until it is all used. Taste and season then store in a thermos until needed.

The Almond Bacon Crisps 
 12 slices of bacon
 1/2 cup of brown sugar
 1/2 cup of sliced almonds

Slightly overlap three pieces of bacon side-by-side. Place them on a piece of baking paper on a baking sheet. Bake the bacon in a pre-heated 350-degree oven until the slices are lightly browned and crisp. Sprinkle the bacon evenly with the sugar and then sprinkle the almonds on. Continue baking for another five to ten minutes as the sugar caramelizes and the nuts brown. Remove the bacon and rest it on absorbent towel before serving.

The Scrambled Egg Stuffing 
 8 eggs
 1/2 cup of minced chives
 2 tablespoons of butter

Whisk the eggs and chives and stir to combine.

Melt the butter in a medium non-stick pan over a high heat. Swirl it gently and when it has foamed and begins to lightly brown add the eggs. Stir the eggs vigorously until about two thirds of them have formed curds. Place the pan in the oven still hot from the biscuits. Bake several minutes just until the eggs have set and cooked. They will puff a bit and take no more than five minutes.

The Plate!
 
Separate the biscuit into two pieces. Place the bottom on the plate. Place a piece of the egg stuffing folded tightly on the biscuit. Add several ounces of the sauce over the eggs onto the plate. Top with a bacon crisp then the top half of the biscuit. Decorate with several chive batons. Serve with a cockle-doodle-do!