Sinepuxent Receipts – Eastern Shore Biscuits

Thanks Salisbury News for giving me this opportunity to share recipes, or “receipts”, and the stories that go with them. I am always looking for ways to take recipes and embellish or make them my own.

Many times my Mother would take leftover cold biscuits and turn them into scrumptious warm morning treats; a wonderful memory from my childhood. My favorite was when she would use plain butter, until the day she used extra-sharp Vermont white cheddar. Oh how delicious! I improved that by topping the cheese with strawberry jam. The bite of the cheese against the sweet strawberry flavor was the best. One day I discovered a similar treat by broiling sweet potato biscuit halves with the same cheese. The strawberry jam was replaced with the comfort of a sweet potato. To this end the following recipe was born.

Eastern Shore Biscuits

1 28 oz. canned sweet potatoes

½ cup oil

¾ cup sugar

3 cups bread flour

5 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, diced small

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In an electric mixer, combine sweet potatoes, oil and sugar and beat until smooth, removing any strings from the beater(s). Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Blend until just combined and then fold in cheese. Bake until lightly browned – 12 to 14 minutes.

Tom Clarke is the author of “Sinepuxent Receipts, A Personal Collection of Eastern Shore Cooking”.  Tom lives in Hebron.  When not cooking for friends or developing new recipes (“receipts”), Tom sings in the choir at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.  All profits from the sale of “Sinepuxent Receipts” go to the St. Peter’s Church Organ Fund.