Sunday, August 7, 2011

Git Your Biscuits In the Oven.....

Blessings, Darlings!

I have a history of making really really lousy biscuits. No matter what I did, they came out heavy and flat tasting. Not worth the calories.

Which is a shame, since unlike big ol' loaves of bread (which I now rock at), biscuits can be cooked on a balcony or patio or porch in a toaster oven.  A great plan for summer baking without heating up the house.

This changed last week.  Since I was still working on the half-bushel of peaches I had bought I figured I'd that) so I figured I'd do a peach cobbler. Because they are 'just quickly cobbled together', you know.  Well, usually they are, but I went with the Test Kitchen recipe which has you par bake the cobbler and biscuit topping separately.  So I had to make biscuits.  Intimidating!

BUT these weren't the type of biscuits I had tried to make before. I had always tried making cut biscuits - THESE were drop biscuits.  And they turned out AMAZING.  I also added two pinches of freshly-ground cardamom to the peach mixture, which kicked it up too.

So, tonight, dinner is soup from leftovers.  Fundamentally a beef barley soup.  Great soup, but it needed a little something something to make it special.  How about drop biscuits?  Husband said - how about cheesy drop biscuits?  Okay! 

They SO rocked. I made a dozen and I don't know if there will be any left by the end of the evening. And there are only three of us. 

Since I love you folks, I'm going to share the recipe.

                                             CHEESY DROP BISCUITS

2 Cups all purpose flour                                       1 tsp dried wild green onions 
1 tbs baking powder                                            1/4 cup shortening
1/4 tsp baking soda                                              3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt                                                               1/4 cup cheddar cheese, small dice
1/8 tsp garlic salt

Oven on, set to 450. Baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
All dry ingredients plus the cheese into bowl, stir.
Melt the shortening.  Mix it into the buttermilk.  The lumps are a GOOD thing.  Add liquid to dry ingredients, stir 'till just mixed.  I had to add a smidge more milk, you might not have to. 

Use the 1/4 cup measure you used for the cheese to dole out dough on to baking sheet.  Bake.  In my oven it took 10 minutes - it could take up to 15 in yours.

Eat.  Smile. Repeat.

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