Haute Herby-Cheese Biscuits

My family originates from England--my mom's whole side of  the family lives there, in fact--so that means that we expect our food to taste a certain way. When my family originally moved to NC, we discovered these things called "biscuits" that look just like scones, but instead of eating them with butter, jam, and tea, the Americans would eat them with meat and cheese! How barbaric! We were stunned and confused to discover a "savory scone."

Well, after living here for the past 12 years I have  come to love Bojangles and their  meat-scones (as well as that "sweet tea" stuff--what an abomination!). Today I present to you an ode to the American twist on English  tea-time: the Haute Herby-Cheese Biscuit. It tastes just like it sounds--salty and cheesy and herby. Yum!

Thank you America for your strange innovations....

Ingredients:

-1 Tbsp. Baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
-1/2 tsp. Paprika
-4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 cup (two sticks)fridge-cold butter, diced
-8 oz. provolone cheese, grated
-2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
-1 Tbsp. finely chopped rosemary
-1 Tbsp. finely chopped thyme
- 4 large eggs
-3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 2 Tbsp. for brushing

Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor (or  by hand in a wide, large bowl). Add the butter and pulse until it is the texture of lumpy cornmeal (if combining by hand, use a pastry cutter or two knives to reach the same consistency).

Transfer to a large, wide bowl and stir in the provolone cheese and herbs.

Make a well in the center and pour in the cream and add the eggs. Using a fork, blend the eggs and slowly incorporate the flour from the sides. Once it's too hard to use the fork, grab a spatula and continue combining the wet with the dry until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn out the dough on a floured board, and form into an 8 inch square, about 1 inch thick. Cut into 16 pieces using a floured  knife or board scraper, and wrap completely in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for two hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the scones at least 2 inches apart (to leave them room to brown/breathe) and brush with the extra cream.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top and bottom. They smell really good...You will be tempted to eat them all in one sitting!

*You can make the dough and freeze it up to 1 month ahead.*