Cracked Pepper Biscuits

So what to do with turkey leftovers has been rehashed one thousand times over and you won't find some turkey / cranberry enchilada recipe on my blog. My personal favorite is to just eat the turkey on white bread with Miracle Whip. A nice, plain beige sandwich. It's the only time of the year that I buy plain, white bread or Miracle Whip. And I love those turkey sandwiches so much that I roasted a turkey breast just so we could have them. I come from a big family and married into a medium, growing into big, family, so leftovers are never really a problem anyhow.

But I'll gladly take a turkey carcass off your hands. Those turkey bones and bits and pieces left stuck to them are a flavor goldmine for making turkey stock and from that turkey soup. Now everyone knows how to boil the carcass for 3 hours with an onion, a bay leaf, some carrots, celery and parsley. And then strain it and add some noodles. The question then becomes how do you take your simple turkey soup and turn it into a meal?


Cracked Pepper Biscuits, that's how! These biscuits are really easy. They are light and flaky and buttery and just melt when you take a bite. The black pepper shines through and makes these have a little zip. They're not the kind of biscuits to eat with jam, that's for sure! There aren't any complicated ingredients either. I even put my coat on, went outside and found that my thyme plant is still alive and kicking despite the chilly weather of late. The only problem with them is that I keep eating them and the soup isn't done.

Cracked Pepper Biscuits
from the Bon Appetit Cookbook

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Preheat oven to 475°F. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add thyme and cracked black pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer thyme mixture to small bowl. Whisk in milk, then egg. Chill until mixture is cold.

Blend flour, baking powder, and salt in processor 10 seconds. Add 3/4 cup chilled butter. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk mixture. Using on/off turns, process just until moist clumps form. Transfer dough to floured work surface. Knead just until dough holds together, about 6 turns. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits. Reroll dough scraps and cut out additional biscuits, until all the dough is used.* Transfer biscuits to large ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil and store at room temperature. Before serving rewarm unwrapped biscuits in 350°F oven just until heated through, about 8 minutes.) Serve warm.

I got 20 biscuits. The cookbook says it makes 16 and the recipe on Epicurious says it makes 12.