Archive for February 24th, 2008

Southern Style Biscuits

Published by Hal on February 24, 2008 in Just Baking and recipes. 1 Comment
Biscuits
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There’s nothing that starts your day better than a good Southern Style biscuit. And, nothing better to end your day really. Biscuits are a versatile bread for nearly any meal, and most everyone likes them.

They don’t really take very long to make, but people insist on buying ready made biscuits from a can. Sure, these biscuits are convenient, but have you looked at the ingredient list? Real biscuits have only six basic ingredients: flour, butter (or shortening), baking powder, salt, sugar, and milk. Who knows what the rest are?

Another problem I have with biscuits from a can is the cost. These five ingredients cost me as much to buy as 1 can of biscuits, but I can make 3 or 4 times as many from those ingredients, they’re bigger, and they taste better, too!

Of course, though I love biscuits like no other, I don’t really make them all that often–between the flour and the butter, these are not the most figure friendly of pastries. However, for an occasional treat, they are just fine.

So, this morning, I decided to make this treat (and, have a real home cooked breakfast to go along with it–bacon and scrambled eggs!). It’s very simple, and takes only an extra 10 minutes, plus cooking time. I promise, the extra effort is well worth the end result.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 and a half sticks) of unsalted butter, cut into a small pieces; if you use salted butter, omit the salt above.
  • 1 cup of milk

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Stir together the dry ingredients until they are combined. Using a pastry blender, or a couple forks, blend in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. You can also perform this step in a food processor, using the pulse option.

Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture and pour in the milk. Stir with a fork, just until the mixture is combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the mixture 5-6 times, until everything has come together.

Split Biscuit with Jam
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Flatten by hand, until the dough is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (about the width of your index finger). Do not roll the dough, because you’ll risk creating gluten strands, which are not good for the flaky texture we’re going for. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2 inch round, cut biscuits out from the dough and place on a baking sheet. If you place the biscuits together, they will rise higher; if you place them apart, they will develop more crispiness on the outside. The choice is yours.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown on top and done inside.

If you have leftover dough after cutting your biscuits, you can reshape and cut again–try to work the dough as little as possible, to avoid creating gluten and making a tough biscuit. This recipe yielded me nine, slightly larger than 2 1/2 inch biscuits. Serve with butter, jam, or even sausage gravy!

Apple and Pear Galette

Published by Hal on February 24, 2008 in recipes. 0 Comments

galetteI used to love watching “Martha Stewart Cooking,” when it was on Food Network. As much as some people really don’t like her, I think that she knows her stuff–and she’s kind of matronly, in some strange way. One of things I remember very well from her show was a special on a fall-fruit galette. I don’t remember the exact recipe, but it doesn’t matter as the concept is pretty simple:

A galette is a simple, rustic pastry. The concept is really basic–make a pie, but don’t put in a pie pan. The result is a tasty treat, similar to a pie, but perhaps less hassle. Presentation-wise, it’s spectacular since you can let the fruit really stand out. Here’s how I made this one:

Ingredients

  • One 9-inch pre-made pie crust (the kind that is sold in a roll, not in a pie-pan)
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
  • 2 Bosc pears, peeled and cored
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice

Procedure

Cut the apples and pears into quarters, then into slices. In a large bowl, mix together the apples, pears, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degree. Roll out the pie crust onto a large cookie sheet. Pile the apples and pears into the center and fold up the sides of the tart. If it looks a little rough, that’s okay–this is a rustic pastry.

Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and flaky. Serve alone or with ice cream or creme fraiche.

Make sure that you use a Granny Smith apple, or some other tart baking apple. These apples have a higher pectin content, meaning that they won’t brown as quickly when cut and the juice that cooks out will gel up better than with other types of apples.