Adapted from Ina Garten
One of my work colleagues is a fantastic gardener, and a month or two ago, she gave me this chive plant for the tiny garden I'm growing on my fire escape. They're just about to blossom, so you'll soon have plenty of chive flowers, she said. And so I waited. And I waited. And I waited. And eventually, one chive stalk sprouted a sad-looking, half-shriveled, purple bud.
A few weeks, later, we were standing by the coffe machine waiting for a fresh pot to brew, and she asked me how the chives were doing. Did they give you a lot of flowers?
I looked down at my feet and muttered something about that one bud. Her obvious follow-up question was whether I had killed them all, to which I answered something noncommittal, like They're hanging in there, before slinking back to my office in shame. Feeling defeated, I went to my local farmers market that weekend and bought the biggest bunch of flowering chives I could find. And then I made these biscuits. And I stuck a goddamn chive blossom right smack in the middle of each and every one.
Because nothing will make you feel like a winner more than waking up a few minutes early and baking fresh biscuits before work. Nothing. The dough comes together pretty quickly, and by the time you're done with your shower, they're golden brown, hot out of the oven, and ready to make your breakfast, and your day, amazing.
PS: My chives still hanging in there. Actually, they are going pretty strong. And as of yesterday, I have FOUR grape tomatoes. (!!)
Ingredients for 8 or 9 Biscuits:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 stick (¼ pound) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- ½ cup fresh chopped chives, plus their blossoms if possible
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Make the Chive Biscuits:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar and mix until the butter is the size of peas. I used my electric mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed, but you can mix by hand as well. Add the half-and-half and continue to beat or mix until combined, and then add the chives (not the blossoms, if using) and mix until they are incorporated into the batter.
On a well-floured board, dump out the dough and need into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick. Using a 2 ½-inch round cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into round biscuits. Place the biscuits onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Brush the tops of each one with the egg wash. If using chive blossoms, stick one in the middle of each biscuit.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until the biscuits are browned.
The biscuits are best eaten warm, fresh from the oven. Freeze whatever you're not going to eat right away and reheat for another day.
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