“One of the gifts of being a chef is the power to create — to take [something] beyond what it’s supposed to be,” the chef said poignantly.

I had the honor of joining Performance chefs on a pilgrimage to Chef Ted’s kitchen to look at some real-world applications that can help boost restaurants with simple solutions, as we head toward the holiday season.

“If there’s a product I like to work with myself, it’s the [Pillsbury^™] biscuits because of the versatility,” the chef explained. “And I’m always testing the limits of kind of what you can do.

“There’s a million different ways…from pies, to crostatas, to pizzas, to pretzels — all different things I can do with this one product.”

Bisimplicity

Chef Ted brought up three core components of Pillsbury biscuits that should be music to any operator’s holiday ears:

·         Simplicity — With ingredients you can easily understand, you don’t even really need to be a professional to use these dynamic products. They’re not hard to execute, and they don’t require a special order. Plus, they can be utilized quickly if the head chef is out that particular day.

·         Approachability — These comfort items tap into a guest’s nostalgic sensibilities. They take breakfast vibes out of that daypart, and plug them into spicy options, handhelds, and internationally inspired creations. 

·         Consistency — No matter the preparation style, your guests will taste that same buttery, homebaked quality. And they perform beautifully outside of the oven: on the grill, in the fryer, or in the waffle maker.

Comfort Transformed

As Chef Ted said, versatility really is key, making it easy for a restaurant to blend comfort elements with trending flavors. This works especially well in the handheld space.

By thawing Pillsbury^™ Southern Style Frozen Biscuit Dough, you can simply poke a hole in the center with your finger and form a 1-inch space. Fry the dough holes two minutes on each side, then toss in a mouth-popping Cayenne Honey Butter sauce. Place fried chicken cutlets, also sauced, on top of the “donuts,” customized with signature toppings and voila — serve up a Nashville Hot Donut Sandwich.

Or, get press-happy with the waffle iron! Waffle Pillsbury^™ Garlic & Cheddar Biscuit Dough for just 90 seconds, then top with a smoked paprika aioli. Enclose cheddar cheese in a chorizo patty for your own version of a fab-and-fiery Juicy Lucy! The chimichurri brings zesty, earthy Argentinian notes to the waffle sliders — perfectly craveable at a holiday party!

Takin’ it to the Streets

One fun way to add a little joy to the season is with street-food inspired sweet treats, like Biscuit Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches. Just waffle Pillsbury^™ Easy Split^™ Southern Style Frozen Biscuit Dough and sandwich a scoop of on-trend ube ice cream, with fun toppings lining the sides. This seasonal treat requires minimal culinary experience, and with 5 ingredients or less, only a few minutes to prep.

Now it’s time to go global: Cut Pillsbury^™ Southern Style Frozen Dough Biscuit into quarters and drop in the deep-fat fryer for 2-4 minutes. Toss the biscuit bites in the fragrant, traditional Indian spice garam masala and serve with a tamarind ketchup dipping sauce. Again, with minimal ingredients, this snack is easy to prep in as little as a few minutes.

As Chef Ted said, no fuss and ingredients you can understand! Take it from a pastry maestro, “The great thing is, you wouldn’t know it was a biscuit!”

This holiday season, wow patrons by taking biscuits to a fun-and-fab place that opens their minds (and taste buds) to new possibilities.

 

 

*Content provided in collaboration with General Mills Foodservice.