Pear-Ginger Biscuits
 
 
Makes 8
Ingredients
Biscuits:
  • 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 cup diced peeled pear
  • ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (reserve lemon)
  • 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons cold whole buttermilk, divided
Spread:
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup pear preserves*
  • Fresh lemon juice (lemon reserved from biscuits)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly spray a 14-inch cast-iron baking pan with cooking spray.
For biscuits:
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pear, ginger, and zest. Using a fork, gradually stir in 1 cup plus 4 tablespoons buttermilk just until dry ingredients are moistened.
  2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 times. Gently pat dough into a 12×6-inch rectangle, about ¾ inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 8 (3-inch) squares. Place on prepared pan. Brush remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk onto biscuits; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
  3. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
For spread:
  1. In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese and preserves until well combined. Stir in lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed to reach a spreadable consistency. Serve with biscuits. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
*We used Braswell’s Pure Pear Preserves.
Recipe by Southern Cast Iron at https://southerncastiron.com/pear-ginger-biscuits/