Celebration Biscuits

Taylor ham and cheese biscuits are a wonderful way to savor a mighty election win.

Today’s recipe celebrates all the wonderful Election Day wins—wins that made me cry with happiness (and relief).

As a proud New Jersey native (exit 151), I am celebrating Mikie Sherrill as New Jersey’s next governor with a Taylor ham and cheese biscuit. The biscuit portion is a nod to her Virginian roots. The Taylor ham is pure Jersey; and before you ask, it’s not a pork roll because Taylor ham is what people in northern New Jersey call it. Because we’re right. (For those unfamiliar with the Taylor ham vs pork roll debate, folks in southern New Jersey insist on calling the salty processed pork product by the generic “pork roll.” They’re wrong. It’s really quite simple.)

Join me Saturday, Nov. 8, at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT for a live biscuit-making demo/master-class. I’ll demonstrate the entire process, with special detail on the best way to incorporate butter and how to roll biscuits to ensure the flakiest outcome every time. Click here for a link to the livestream.

Gov.-elect Sherrill, for all of her good traits as a leader, veteran, and mom, has one quite noticeable flaw. She has spoken out loud what should have remained a private thought: She does not like New Jersey’s signature sandwich, the breakfast of Garden State champions: The Taylor ham, egg and cheese on a Kaiser roll. That she won despite this glaring personal flaw speaks to, of course, New Jerseyans’ willingness to embrace all kinds of people. Maybe what matters more to voters these days is that rare thing in a politician: honesty.

Fun fact: Fellow Election night winner Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and Sherrill were roommates as freshman members of Congress in Washington, D.C. Luckily, in this little biscuit recipe I created, Taylor ham can be replaced with Virginia country ham if that’s your preference.

You’d rather make these in honor of Zohran Mamdani’s spectacular win in New York City? Leave out the ham and add a little more New York cheddar.

However you plan to celebrate, I hope these incredibly fluffy, light biscuits bring an extra layer of joy to your table.

As the government shut down continues and Donald Trump cruelly pretends grocery prices are down (President Trump, yes, it’s true that Wal-mart’s Thanksgiving dinner package is actually cheaper than last year’s, but it’s offering only 15 products instead of 21 and is including more store brands) and with so many Americans experiencing food insecurity, please consider donating to your local food bank or to World Central Kitchen. Until Nov 14, for every new paid subscriber to my Substack, I will donate $5 to World Central Kitchen.

Celebration Biscuits

Makes 9 large biscuits

What You’ll Need:

2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon kosher salt (or about ½ teaspoon table salt)

5 tablespoons (71 grams) cold butter, cut into 16 pieces

½ cup (70 grams) sharp provolone cheese, cut into small cubes

½ cup (70 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1 cup (150 grams) Taylor ham, or country-style ham, cut into small pieces

¾ cup (177 ml) milk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning

What You’ll Do:

1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment.

2. Sauté the Taylor ham until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel.

3. To a food processor with the “s” blade in place, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse 2 times to combine. Sprinkle the cubes of butter over the top and pulse until the butter is in pea-size and smaller pieces, about 5 times.

4. Pour the flour mixture into a large bowl, sprinkle the cheeses and Taylor ham over the top and toss with a fork to coat all the cheese and ham with flour. Pour the milk over the top and toss with the aforementioned fork to distribute the milk. A shaggy, crumbly dough will form. Do not overwork. Gather the dough together into a loose ball with your cool fingers and cat-like dainty motions. Transfer the dough to a large pastry board (or clean counter) lightly dusted with flour. Gently roll the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle (about 6.5 x 9 inches). Fold the dough like a letter: Fold the top one-third down toward the middle, then fold up the bottom third over the top. Then fold the “letter” in half once to form a square. Roll the dough to form another 6.5 x 9 x .5” rectangle. Flour a sharp knife and cut the biscuits into squares.

5. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with butter, and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Bake for about 20 minutes until risen and light golden brown on top. These are best eaten while warm. From personal experience, I do not recommend being alone in the house with a warm tray of these biscuits.

Marissa Rothkopf Bates writes about food for the New York Times, Newsweek (RIP) and Publishers’ Weekly among others. Her newest book, “The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies,” is available for pre-sale wherever fine books are sold. Find her on Substack here.

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