Treat Yourself


More legs than Emeril, more hair than Jamie Oliver, he's Geordie the Scaly Scot.
His Savoury Cheese Biscuits are meant for a savage feast.


Illustration by Gimlet

Having read of his exploits for years, we're delighted to have made the acquaintance of Geordie, North America's most famous Scottish Terrier. Geordie the Scaly Scot, as he's known to his friends, lives in the prairie province of Saskatchewan in Canada.
Geordie is as famous for his wit as he is for his biscuits, and we hope to catch up with him soon for an in-depth interview. But for now, we are pleased that he's graciously given us the recipe for his Savoury Cheese Biscuits.
Although these are "dog" biscuits, everyone in our family enjoys them.

These can be made with a mixer, with paddle or dough hook; a food processor, with a steel blade; or a bread machine on the "dough" setting.
This very flexible recipe can be embellished with a variety of cheeses.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons Cheez Whiz
1 to 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
Good terrier shake of black pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons wheat germ (toasted in the oven)
⅓ cup dry milk powder
1 to 1 ½ cups water


Photo by Joe the Cat
Gimlet inspects a batch of nicely-browned cheese biscuits.

You can omit the Cheez Whiz but it makes the batter nice and smooth and a quarter cup won't kill anybody.
Mix everything up. Adjust if the dough seems too soft or stiff by adding more flour or water.
You want a soft but firm, and not sticky dough ... something very close to a bread dough.
Refrigerate for at least three hours, covered with plastic wrap.

Divide dough in two pieces. Roll out the dough using no extra flour until it's quite thin. Cut into pieces and bake at 325° for about 25 minutes on greased cookie sheets. You can turn them over once during baking to ensure even browning and crispness.
You want these dry and crisp, quite dark in color but not burnt.
(If you use a Silpat sheet on your baking sheet, they will not get too brown, however.)
Cool.
These store well covered for 2 weeks in a refrigerator.
Hoist a toast to Geordie the Scaly Scot while you're munching.



Posted: Sun - January 11, 2004 at 07:51 PM          

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