Biscuits

Pies' n' Thighs is the name of a New York restaurant known for these ultra tall, flaky, melt in your mouth biscuits demonstrated on Martha Stewart recently.  I couldn't resist trying them on a night I was fixing a down home meal of ham and beans and fried potatoes.  My husband does not like corn bread so it was my substitution for him.

My adaptation of the recipe make 18 large biscuits so I froze over half of them prior to baking but cut the recipe in half to post as not too many families around any more needing that quantity.

Ingredients:

1 C. plus 2 T. pastry flour (I used cake flour)
1 1/4 t. sugar
3 1/2 t. baking powder
2 1/4 t. kosher salt
12 1/2 T. cold butter cut in dice (1 1/2 sticks plus 1/2 T.)
3 C. all-purpose flour plus more for work surface
1 1/2 C. plus 2 T. buttermilk

1 large beaten egg
2 T. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Yield 8 or 9 large biscuits.

Place the pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined.   Add the butter and pulse until the mixture appears as coarse meal.  Dump mixture into a large bowl and add the all-purpose flour.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add the buttermilk mixing it all together until if become a dough.  Turn it out onto a well floured work surface and bring it together lightly kneading with the palm of your hand.   Pat the dough out to a thickness of 1 1/2"  thick and cut the biscuits with a well floured 3" round cutter.   Re roll the scraps as necessary and transfer all to the prepared sheet.

Using a cup or small bowl beat together the egg and cream.  Brush the biscuit tops and transfer to the oven for 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 400 degrees and bake until golden brown about 22 minutes longer.  Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before serving.