Chili Con Carne with Chili Cheddar Shortcakes

These chili cheddar shortcakes take the strawberry-shortcake concept and apply it to chili night. Instead of a sweet biscuit topped with berries and cream, savory cheddar biscuits get split in half and cradle a ladle of hot chili con carne between the halves. The biscuit absorbs the sauce, the cheese melts from the warmth of the chili, and every bite has the right ratio of bread to meat to sauce.

The biscuits themselves are simple. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt get rubbed with cold butter and shredded sharp cheddar until the mixture looks like coarse meal, then sour cream binds it all into a soft dough. Pat out, cut into rounds, and bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

Pair with your favorite chili (pressure-cooker, slow-simmered, or canned doctored-up, no judgment) and you have a Tex-Mex comfort meal that hits harder than a bowl of chili and cornbread on the side. Each person gets a biscuit, split and topped generously with chili.

Chef Tips

• Use cold butter and cold sour cream. Cold ingredients make flaky biscuits; warm ingredients make dense ones.
• Shred the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking powder that inhibits melt.
• Do not overmix. Biscuits should come together just barely into a dough with some visible butter chunks.
• Cut straight down with the biscuit cutter, no twisting. Twisting seals the edges and prevents proper rise.
• Serve immediately after baking. Biscuits are best hot from the oven.

Variations

• Add 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños or green chiles to the dough for spicy biscuits.
• Swap cheddar for pepper jack, Colby jack, or smoked gouda for different cheese flavors.
• Top the chili-filled biscuits with a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, or sliced green onions.