A Community Dining Room

IF YOU ARE a fan of food, learning and good company, you should probably pay a visit to Taste Kitchen and Table, Fairfax’s newest culinary venture. Opened in September by partners Lorenzo Jones, who handles the business, and Rochelle Edwards, who cooks up the fare, Taste offers breakfast, lunch, healthy snacks, special dinners, assorted pastries, fresh bread and more. The “more” will soon include monthly cooking classes, catering services, artisan demonstrations and lectures. Jones and Edwards want Taste to be a gathering place for like-minded locals, but they’ve started by offering tasty treats aplenty. Edwards inherited her passion for cooking and baking from her grandmother, whom she grew up watching prepare meals for her family on the East Coast. At Taste, she enjoys the opportunity to cook for an appreciative community, using fresh and local ingredients to create such healthy yet indulgent goods as the biscone, a cross between a biscuit and a scone. “As a mother of three with a career, I know that having quality food that’s delicious, is easy to prepare and can be served at any time of day is great for everyone; the biscone fits the bill,” Edwards says. “It’s equally satisfying whether it’s functioning as breakfast, lunch, dinner or a savory snack.” tastekitchenandtable.com


Biscone

Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, lightly floured and cut into
  • 8 even slices
  • 1 cup caramelized onions
  • 1 cup bacon lardons (¼-inch chunks of bacon that have been cooked to a slightly crispy texture)
  • 1 cup hard cheddar cheese, cut in ½-inch chunks
  • 1¼ cups cold buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

To Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in vegetable shortening. Add butter, pressing butter slices with fingers to flatten until they are thin and coated with flour, but still intact.
  3. Freeze mixture for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove mixture from freezer.
  5. Working quickly, add onions, bacon and cheese. Add cold buttermilk and gently mix until just combined.
  6. Pour dough onto floured countertop.
  7. Pat until 1 inch thick and cut into 8 squares. Brush with melted butter.
  8. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown (baking time may vary).
  9. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with thyme to finish. Note: Do not overwork or handle the dough too much — this will result in a tough biscone.