Season 12 of American Idol is moving right along and I’ll be whipping up themed snacks every week for Yahoo! Music’s Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog.

Tonight the auditions are landing in Charlotte, North Carolina so of course, I had to make something super southern and comforting. My friend Melanie told me about a popular snack in Charlotte that combines biscuits and salty ham. Usually Country Ham would be used but prosciutto is a perfect substitute if you can’t find it in your local supermarket.

The saltiness of the prosciutto, creaminess of the pimento cheese and sweetness of the biscuits all marry together perfectly. Give it a try…your taste buds will thank you!

---

Cheesy Prosciutto Biscuit Bites

Ingredients

Biscuits
Adapted from Homesick Texan

Makes 12-15 biscuits

• Two cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, cold (8 tablespoons)
• 3/4 heavy cream

Filling

• 1 pound shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend
• 3 heaping tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 small jar diced pimentos
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, diced
• 2oz package prosciutto di parma, cut each slice in half

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Cut the stick of butter into pieces, and work into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.

Add the liquid, mixing until a bit loose and sticky. Pour dough out on a floured surface, and knead for a couple of minutes. Dough should be smooth and no longer wet. You can sprinkle more flour on the surface if you find it’s sticking.

Roll out dough until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick.

Using a small round cutter cut out your biscuits. Place on a greased baking sheet close together, and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

While the biscuits are baking mix the cheese and next 4 ingredients, through the jalapeños, in a large bowl until the mixture is a nice, creamy consistency. If the mixture is too dry add more mayo or jalapeño juice.

Remove the biscuits from the oven. Using a serrated knife cut the biscuits in half. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the pimento cheese mixture onto the biscuit, top with a piece of prosciutto and the top of the biscuit.

Bon Appétit!