Accidental Hedonist

“Americana” is one of the most nebulous of terms, as different people apply different things as examples of the word. Some use jazz, other use rustic needlepoint, still others use baseball as the best reflections of America.

Personally, I think Buttermilk biscuits work quite nicely. We most assuredly did not invent the biscuits, but did perfect. On the frontier, where excessive cooking equipment was a luxury many could afford, or in the south, where families had to make due with less, the buttermilk biscuit became the way that many folks got their grain intake. With only six ingredients, it was a simple recipe to learn.

This recipe is my first attempt at them, and they came out fairly well. I would have prefered for them to be a little fluffier, but I’m still working out the nuances of the stand up mixer.

• 3 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening, diced into 1/2″ pieces
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Mix in the pieces of the vegetable shortening, until the the shortening looks like dough coated peas.

Slowly pour in the buttermilk into the dough and mix well. When thoroughly combined, place dough onto a floured counter top. Knead the dough if necessary, until the dough is the consistency of play-dough.

Flatten the dough, either by hand or by rolling pin, until the dough is about 2″ high. Cut out with a cup or circular cookie cutter. Place on parchment paper that has been placed on a cookie sheet. Repeat until all dough has been used.

Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 12-13 minutes.

Makes about 12-18 biscuits

Technorati Tags: Recipes, biscuits, bread,

Cheese Biscuits are one of those items that simply must be tasted directly from the oven, the threat of third degree burns be damned. I rank a good cheese biscuit taste up there in the top ten tastes of all time.

This recipe is what one would call a “processor recipe”, in that you make it primarily in your food processor. It’s not complicated, nor is it overly aesthetic, but the taste is definitely worth it.

• 6 oz Cheddar cheese, cubed (although other semi-hard cheeses would do)
• 1 1/2 cup AP flour, sifted
• 5 oz salted butter, chilled and diced
• sesame seeds and cayenne pepper to garnish

Pulse your cheese in a food processor until it’s a crumb like consistency. Add the flour to the food processor and blend well.

While blending, add bits of the butter, a little at a time. Allow the dough to form. When the butter is gone, spoon the dough from the processor into a medium sized mixing bowl. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but preferably over night.

To bake, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough about 1/2″ thick. Cut into squares and then cut the squares along the diagonal.

Place onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Top with sesame seeds, cayenne pepper, or both. Place in the oven and cook 6 minutes. Do not over cook or the biscuits will quite literally melt.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

Makes 2 dozen +

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink, recipes, biscuits, cheese biscuits