Secret Recipe Club: Parmesan Cornmeal Biscuits

There are so many wonderful food blogs out there but not nearly enough hours in the day to find them all.  Thanks to the Secret Recipe Club, I am fortunate enough to be introduced to a new one every month.  Sometimes I'm familiar with the blog but most of the time it's new to me.  I love getting to add new blogs to my Reader and this has proven to be a great way to find worthwhile sites.

This month I was assigned to Ann's blog, Sumptuous Spoonfuls.  Sumptuous is a such a luscious descriptive word and her photos and recipes fit the bill.  Ann is a self-proclaimed "health freak" and tries to cut the sugar and fat where possible.  Hello?  Are we twins?  I have personal mental guidelines that a recipe must adhere to before it ever gets bookmarked.  It was so nice to know that as I read through Ann's bounty of recipes, I didn't have to worry about a ton of butter, sugar, or additives.  If you can make things like Berry White Chocolate Scones and Magical Mystical Chocolate Pudding Cake with less sugar?  Sign me up!  I ended up settling on her Parmesan Cornmeal Biscuits.

I'm here to tell you, these biscuits are incredible.  I love the slight crunch from the cornmeal, mixed with the airiness of the flour.  I love that she used yogurt instead of milk or buttermilk.  I subbed Gruyere cheese in place of the parmesan and it proved to be a wonderful match!  They came together so quickly and were a smashing hit.  They got my bread-lovin' mom's seal of approval as well - and that's saying something!  I highly, highly recommend these versatile little gems.  I dare you to try to eat just one (:

Gruyere Cornmeal Biscuits
slightly adapted from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup 50/50 flour (white/wheat blend)
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
5 T. chilled butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1 large egg
1 cup plain low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix first 8 ingredients (flour through baking soda) in a large bowl.
3. Cut butter into small bits and mix in with a pastry cutter, 2 knives or use your fingers to blend until butter is blended in and mixture is a coarse meal.
4. Add Gruyere cheese and mix until blended.
5. In a small bowl, whisk egg and yogurt until smooth.
6. Add the egg/yogurt mixture to flour mixture. Stir well to mix into a moist, thick batter.  Add a little more flour if the batter is still really sticky.
7. Turn the batter onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle with flour.
8. Roll to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and cut into shapes.
9. Bake at 400 for 15 – 20 minutes or until nicely browned on top.