Virginia Ham Biscuits & The Hunt Races
Two hours southwest of Washington DC, and tucked into the eastern edge of Shenandoah National Park, are the gorgeous, rolling Orange County hills that surround James Madison’s Montpelier. I first visited the area this summer on a mom & daughter trip to learn about our Founding Fathers. I am by no means a history buff. I will begrudgingly read a bit of history now and then as if some civic duty, with frequent stops to scan Instagram, daydream, twirl my hair, stare at the ceiling… But, put me IN history…let me touch, smell and see it…and I’m there. So, there I was, via my ever-energetic momma, at a 3-day crash course on Jefferson, Madison & Monroe. We visited Monticello, Montpelier and Monroe’s Highland. Their homes were grand and thoughtful and serene. I was fascinated by the connection between these men. Most impressive to me, though, was how much these men were able to accomplish without the modern day conveniences of travel and communication. Jefferson, Madison & Monroe: statesmen, counterparts, mentors and friends.
I was particularly intrigued with Madison’s Montpelier. After James Madison passed and Dolley moved to Washington DC, the home changed hands several times until William duPont, the famed American businessman, banker and horse racing connoisseur, bought it in 1901. When William passed on to the great beyond, his daughter, Marion, inherited the home. While her father massively renovated the home, Marion’s major renovation would be to the landscape, including the addition of a steeplechase track. In 1934, Marion duPont started The Montpelier Hunt Races on the front lawn of James Madison’s old digs. Today, it is the only live brush hurdle course in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Each November, horse-racing-big-frilly-hatted-tailgate-loving Virginians gather on the fields of James Madison’s Montpelier for The Hunt Races. It is a stunning sight to behold, and it just feels so Virginia…
…and what would a horse race be without those stunning hats? Ladies, dig in to your inner Southern Belle. Gorgeous, colorful, elegant, eccentric, fun.
Just as seriously as the ladies take their hats, Virginians pour every bit the amount of passion into their race day tailgates. From college football style tailgates to sophisticated spreads, it’s quite clear: the fans are committed. It was hard to tell what the main attraction was at times: the culinary creations or the beautiful animals powering across the steeplechase track. I lovingly admired both.
Virginia hams, mounds of fried chicken, shrimp cocktail, biscuits piled high, pies and cookies, sweet tea. It was overflowing. I stared and surveyed and ogled my way past the tailgates, making note of what I saw in the displays. I tucked the Virginia Ham Biscuit away into my mental recipe book. It’s a southern staple. Flaky biscuits, piled high with thinly sliced Virginia ham, accentuated by sweet and tangy mustard. It’s a race day classic. P.S…. I left the races with a new cookbook. I’m not sure how that happened, but it did. The Southerner’s Cookbook, from the editors of Garden & Gun, added to the collection…
Back home after the races and it was time to play around with some Virginia Ham Biscuits! Buttermilk biscuits you can melt into. Secret ingredient, oh… it’s the duck fat… and why stop there with the artistic “license”…? While I dressed some of the biscuits with a homemade honey mustard (recipe follows), I heaped caramelized onion jam on top of the shaved ham of the next little sandwich I devoured. It was lovely.
- Classic Buttermilk Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons, cold, unsalted butter (cut in small pieces)
- 2 tablespoons duck fat (or lard)
- 3/4 to 1 cup cold, whole buttermilk
- 1 pound Virginia Ham, thinly sliced
- Honey mustard (1/4 cup whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon dijon)
- Plain mustard (whole-grain or dijon recommended)
- or...get creative...
- Caramelized onion jam
- Your favorite chutney (fruit chutneys pair nicely)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar together into a large bowl. Blend the butter pieces and duck fat (or lard) into the dry mixture with a pastry blender (or two knives) until you achieve a course meal with flakes of butter/fat throughout.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then slowly pour the buttermilk in the center while stirring the flour into the "pool" of buttermilk. Depending on the humidity levels, it may only take 3/4 cup buttermilk (rainy or very humid day) to 1 cup buttermilk (clear, dry day). Stir in the buttermilk until a dough forms and no dry pieces are left, but it should not be overly wet either.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll out the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter (between 2-3 inches...I use a 3 inch cutter for bigger biscuits) to cut out rounds and place on a cookie sheet. Gather dough, form, rollout, and cut out biscuits until you're out of dough. Don't over handle the dough as the butter starts to melt. You can dust a little flour over the dough if it gets too sticky.
- Place the biscuit rounds on the cookie sheet so they are lightly touching one another. They'll help each other "climb" as they bake. Friendly biscuits...
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the biscuits have risen and the tops have started to brown. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter (if desired).
- When slightly cooled from the oven, slice the biscuits open, pile high with thinly sliced Virginia ham, spread honey mustard (or condiment of your choice) on the top biscuit half, and enjoy! Serve warm or at room temperature.
