Enjoy this modern recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold lard
- 1 cup milk
- Unsalted butter, for spreading on biscuits
- 80 very thin slices Virginia ham (about 1 inch in diameter)
- Baking sheet, buttered
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the lard, cut into bits, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in 3/4 cup milk, or enough to make a soft dough. Form the dough into a ball and roll or pat it out ½ inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out rounds with a 1-inch cutter dipped in flour and transfer them to a baking sheet. Form the scraps gently into a ball, roll and cut the dough in the same manner and transfer the rounds to the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the rounds lightly with milk and bake the biscuits in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are puffed and golden. Let the biscuits cool on the racks, split them, and if desired spread them with unsalted butter. Put 2 very thin slices of ham on each biscuit. Reform the biscuits and serve them as hors d'oeuvres.
Yields: About 40