Archive for the ‘Breads’ Category

Jan
1

Biscuits from Scratch: Endangered Species?

IMG_1671 Winter is a time when you really want to carb it up.  For me, that can be any number of things but every now and then I’m craving Southern diner fare … like some homemade biscuits from scratch. They are perfect partners for a breakfast dinner, a bowl of soup … or, breakfast.  And let’s not forget how even more seductive they become once the supporting cast of condiments comes into play:  butter, preserves, honey, gravy, country ham.

Sadly, I believe scratch biscuits are no longer common household fare anymore.  Don’t get me wrong – homemade biscuits are still alive and well, just not so much in the home kitchen. I expect folks still have mothers or grandmothers that roll their own; even so, maybe only for special occasions.  Otherwise, I’d hazard a guess that the majority simply zip over to the local eatery when they get a hankering for them these days – or they commit gourmet treason and pick up a CAN of biscuits at the Piggly Wiggly to bake up on their own.  Unfortunately, this dowager of golden flakiness has gone the way of most edibles over the decades: mass produced and hyper-marketed for urban convenience.  As such, my conjecture is that the scratch biscuit may qualify as a foodie endangered species!

IMG_1666 CONSUMER ADVISORY:  If your only biscuit experience is associated with that iconic, animated doughboy on American TV that giggles when a mysterious finger pokes his belly, then this post is for you.

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GHTime Code(s): a5139 fd782 3e5d5 
Dec
0

Got Cornbread?

Happy New Year-Part 4

010 Not serving cornbread at a Southern New Year’s table is heresy. And of the bazillion cornbread recipes out there, I’ve started using James Villas’ skillet cornbread as my go-to recipe. Why? It’s pretty basic, with no frou-frou ingredients like cheese, chilies, etc. Also, I generally prefer to use yellow cornmeal versus white. I happen to like buttermilk in the recipe too. And lastly, my man James advocates bacon fat — the essential ingredient to achieving the fab taste and crusty exterior. To quote an excerpt from the cookbook, “the secret … is not just the cornmeal but the quantity of bacon grease and the blazing hot cast-iron skillet.”

P.S. For my New England friends, take heed! Cornbread is savory — not sweet. One doesn’t add sugar, and doesn’t bake it in a square cake pan!

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GHTime Code(s): ea275 nc 6ab2d