I’m a still-wandering twenty something, and it’s a good week if I manage to plan a full 7 days’ worth of menus and meals. It’s during these organized weeks that I begin to feel like a capable adult. The rest of the time? Well, I muddle through.

Busy life, chaotic city, stressful commute – more often than not I need special recipes that I can make quickly, and an ingredients list that I can grab cheaply. This becomes super important during the late spring and summer months: it seems there is always a birthday, boozy gathering, or an afternoon in the park planned.

These buttery, savory biscuits are just the thing to fill that speedy, penny-pinching role. Make 2 batches at the same time, and you can even throw the second batch of dough in the freezer for an easy way to feed your friends at short notice.

CHEESE AND TOMATO BUTTERY BISCUITS
From Rachel Khoo’s My Little French Kitchen:
Makes 50

INGREDIENTS
150g plain white flour
125g cold butter, cut into small cubes
125g finely grated mature Tomme de vache or other strongly flavoured hard cheese
200g cherry tomatoes, sliced
1-2 tbsp fresh oregano

METHOD
Mix together the flour, butter and cheese. Rub the fat into the flour between your fingertips until you have a sandy texture then start squashing it together to make it a ball. Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and then roll into a sausage shape, about 3cm in diameter. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge, peel off the cling film and slice the dough into 3mm rounds. Place the rounds on the lined baking tray, topping each one with a slice of tomato and a pinch of oregano. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

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On this go ’round, I substituted comte cheese for the Tomme de vache…initially because I live in a part of north London where comte is about as exotic as cheese gets, and finally, because it was pouring down rain when I did my shopping. Trekking 30+ minutes in spring rain for cheese? Even I’m not that dedicated…

These little nibbles will be the perfect addition to your rota of party snacks. (You might banish that mega-sized bag of tortilla chips for good!) The biscuits would even be great for a lazy weekend brunch with a little glass of bubbly and some baked eggs. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that would turn their nose up at these crumbly beauties – a crowd pleaser, indeed.

 Amanda Gallant is a twenty-something Yank, part-time desk worker, part-time creative living in the UK. Every two weeks, Amanda will cook and write about fresh, simple and inexpensive recipes (which is good, as Jess and Rachel barely know enough about food to keep themselves alive). Photos by Amanda Gallant