Biscuits!

There's a reason the South is known for its flaky, tender, buttery biscuits. It's all about the flour. Yea, the white stuff. It's just one more thing that separates the North from the South. Wheat, that is. In the frigid North, hard-grained wheat grows best and produces a high-gluten flour that is perfect for bread making. But not so in the South. Here, there ain't no winter. And there ain't no 'winter wheat.' We have what is called "soft" wheat that produces a very soft, almost powder-like, low-gluten flour that is perfect for cakes .... and biscuits!

 

The premiere "baking" flour here is called "White Lily." (Don't you love the name? How could you not love it? It sounds like something out of a Tennessee Williams play! Whenever I say it, I pronounce it with a slight drawl.) It is made from soft winter wheat but is not without controversy. Milled in Knoxville, Tennessee since 1883, it was purchased by the Smucker's Company and milling was moved to the Midwest. Connoisseurs say they can tell a difference.

Be that as it may, it is still a very, very light flour. If you can't find it, the closest thing is cake flour, and I have a biscuit recipe for that, too.

 

I do not use buttermilk in the biscuits only because a) it's expensive b) it sits in the fridge forever and ends up going bad and c) it's getting more and more difficult to find real buttermilk--most is "reduced fat." If I have cream or Half-and-Half, I use it.

And now a word about lard. I use it. The newer lards are much healthier then they used to be. I use Armour brand. I use it in biscuits, pie crusts, and to grease bread pans. One tablespoon of lard has 10 mg of cholesterol. By contrast, one tablespoon of butter has 30mg of cholesterol. What about fat content? Well, one tablespoon of lard has 13% fat, of which six is saturated fat. By contrast, one tablespoon of butter has 11% fat, of which seven is from saturated fat.

One tablespoon of Crisco all-vegetable shortening is 12g of total fat of which 3 is saturated fat but contains no cholesterol. If you are dead-set against lard, use Crisco.

Whatever fats you choose, they should be cold, cold, cold. Over-working the dough is the downfall, literally, of biscuits. They less you handle it, the better. Unless you are making a huge quantity of biscuits, just gently pat the dough into shape. I go for about 3/4-inch thick.

Cut the dough with a biscuit cutter which has high sides. If you use a glass, make sure it is thin, such as a wine glass, and do not twist it. You do not want to "smooth" the sides of the dough. To do so will prevent them from rising and flaking. You may also use a sharp knife and cut dough into squares--which I do more and more.

 

A biscuit cutter is high-sided
to accommodate the height of the  dough.
Mine is fluted and gives a nice crispness
to each biscuit.

Do not begin making the dough until your oven is preheated. And be sure to brush the baked biscuits with melted butter. The untold rule is that biscuits should be served HOT and within 2-5 minutes of being removed from the oven.

If you choose to freeze the biscuit dough: place unbaked biscuits on a cookie sheet and freeze. When they are solid, place in a plastic bag and seal after letting air out. Bake a few minutes longer.

Biscuits

• 2 cups White Lily Self-Rising flour
• 2 tablespoons cold lard
• 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2/3 - 3/4 cup milk, buttermilk, Half-and-Half

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.

Blend the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a knife, cut nubs of butter into the flour. Do the same for the lard. Toss to coat with flour. Using a pastry blender cut in the lard and butter until lumps begin to form, some the size of small peas. Do not over mix. Do not use your hands to mix the dough since their heat will begin to melt the butter and lard. Using the lesser amount of liquid, begin adding while "cutting" it in with knife, fork or small spatula. Try to avoid "mixing." Add more liquid if necessary just until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead 2-3 times. That's it. Don't worry if some "cracks" are on surface. Pat into 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch round biscuits.

For crisp biscuits, place one-inch apart on foiled baking sheet. For soft-sided biscuits, place closer together. Bake for 8-10 minutes checking after 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and while hot brush with melted butter.

Makes about 10 biscuits. Recipe is easily halved.

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Before I had access to White Lily Flour, I made these biscuits from my grandmother's old cookbook. Follow the same directions as above.


Cake-Flour Biscuits

• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons chilled lard
• 2 tablespoons chilled butter
• 3/4 cup (about) milk or "rich milk" which means cream

My antique pastry cutters from England.

Notes: Be sure your baking powder is fresh. I use aluminum-free and store mine in the freezer. When I make peach and raspberry cobbler, I top it with these unbaked biscuits and sprinkle with a bit of sugar before baking. The bottom absorbs the fruit juice and the top is all  nice and brown.

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

It's rare that I don't "tweak" or change a recipe. But this unadulterated shrimp recipe by Dave Lieberman is superb as is. And it's pretty simple, too. Unlike an "Alfredo sauce," it doesn't use cheese, just cream. The only thing I do differently is to sprinkle each plateful with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. For 2-3 people, I usually half the recipe but use 3 cloves of the garlic.

Beef is now so expensive, it's actually cheaper for me to purchase one-half pound fresh shrimp in-the-shell from the seafood counter at my grocery store than to buy a New York strip steak. Look for shrimp that is already "deveined" and "cut" so all you have to do is peel off the shell. It's important not to overcook shrimp. As soon as it turns a bright coral color, it's done. 

• 1 pound dried fettuccine (I've also used spaghetti)
• Olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 20 grinds fresh black pepper
• 1 pound peeled, de-veined shrimp*
• 2 tablespoons finely-chopped parsley
• Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until "al dente," about 7 minutes. Drain. Toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking while preparing the sauce.

In a large skillet, combine the cream, wine, garlic, and black pepper and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Now add the shrimp and cook, about 3-5 minutes, depending on size of shrimp, just until they turn color. Toss the sauce with the pasta and the chopped parsley. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and, for garnish, a lemon wedge. (Purists would never add cheese to fish.)

Now, how easy was that!?

Notes: I usually begin on the sauce before I begin the pasta. Sometimes it takes longer than 10 minutes to thicken up. And sometimes I just make it real real slow adding a bit of extra cream and wine now and then to get it nice and thick. If it gets too thick, you can just add a bit of the hot pasta water after you make the pasta. Sometimes I add just a bit more garlic right before I add the shrimp. This is quite versatile. When you add the shrimp, go ahead and add some halved grape tomatoes and cut up fresh basil instead of the parsley.


If you like this recipe and for more tips about making the sauce, check out the following recipe:  Kitchen Bounty: salmon with shrimp sauce over pasta

*If the shrimp are unusually large, slice down the center. It keeps the shape intact but makes it easier to eat.

Authentic Lemon Meringue Pie (Made from Scratch)

Lemon meringue pie is refreshingly tart yet sweet. It is the perfect summer dessert, especially when paired with fish, such as salmon, or light leafy and pasta salads. And a chilled white wine. And it is the perfect way to finish off a heavy dinner of roast lamb.

This recipe is from the vintage and classic Antoinette Pope School Cookbook, from Chicago, Illinois. I've made it many times and I especially enjoy its small size. I am not a believer in oversized pies. They are often underdone, especially in the center. And a large pie has a miscalculated mathematical and geometrical mismatch ratio of filling to crust. I like the crust. We all love the crust! That is why we like pie!

Look for small pie plates while at second-hand stores. They are usually inexpensive. I especially like those that carry the "Fire King" brand and are embossed with a design.

I once made this for a fellow artist and friend in Michigan. He absolutely loved it. One week, his mother visited and she made her version of lemon pie... LOL ... It was not the same. She used JELL-O pudding as the base. It did not even begin to compare (but her turkey and dumplings were to die for!).

Prepare a pastry crust recipe of your choice or buy the pre-rolled ones from the dairy section of your market (read carefuly and you will see they use LARD!), or prepare recipe that follows. Line a seven-inch pie plate and pre-bake according to instructions. Never mind all that nonsense about ceramic beans and tin foil, etc. Allow to cool. Then, move on ....

Or, you prepare a graham-cracker crust. It's your call.

If you can find it, use "super-fine sugar." And, if you can access them, use eggs that have almost orange yolks for a deep yellow color. Once, I did not have enough lemon juice, so I added some fresh-squeezed orange juice. It was delicious. My big sister still talks about that pie!

Filling:
Makes one seven-inch pie. (A double recipe will make a ten-inch pie--if you must.)

• 1 cup sifted granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks (save the whites [no politics intended])
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sifted cornstarch combined with 1/4 cup cool water
• 1 and 1/3 cup very hot tap water
• 1/3 cup lemon juice ( see notes below)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 good heaping tablespoon real dark yellow unsalted butter from grass-fed cows)

In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients except lemon juice, lemon zest, and your authentic butter. Stir until smooth after each addition. Cook until thick and smooth over medium heat, stirring continuously. You don't want the bottom to scorch or thicken too quickly.

NOW, add lemon juice and rind, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add butter; stir until melted, cover tightly* and let stand while preparing Meringue Topping*

Meringue Topping for one 7-Inch Pie (for a 10-inch pie, double ingredients and bake 20-22 minutes)

• 1/3 cup fresh egg whites (about 2 eggs)
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon your favorite and incredible vanilla
• 1/3 cup fine-sifted granulated sugar --- YES ... sift it!

Be sure egg whites are at room temperature. Place in a 7-inch bowl and, just before beginning to beat them, add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until they form a very soft meringue that still slides out of the bowl. If using a powerful mixer, use medium speed otherwise use high speed. This may take about one minute. Now start adding sugar, about 1 teaspoon at a time beat after each addition for a few seconds. After all sugar has been added, beat about 2 more minutes with a hand-operated beater or, one minute with an electrical beater, until peaks are fairly stiff and tips are only rounded. Do do overbeat. At this point, they should NOT SLIDE OUT OF THE BOWL.

Pour the hot lemon filling into the cooled, baked pie-shell and, at once without cooling filling, cover about 1/4 inch of outer crust with meringue to form a kind of glue, using a spoon or small spatula and pulling it inward towards center of the pie.  This will prevent the meringue from sliding off the center of the pie when cutting.

Note the soft peaks on meringue.

Heap rest of meringue onto pie filling, a spoonful at a time and, with the back of a spoon, make very slight indentations pulling up points slightly, keeping meringue a little higher in the center.

Place pie on bottom rack of a preheated 400-degree oven and bake about 15-18 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown (not tan). Keep a close eye on it. Now is NOT the time to check on laundry or water the plants. Remove from oven; place pie on a cake rack away from drafts until the bottom of plate feels cool. This may take several hours.

Then, store pie in refrigerator for at least two hours, preferably under a glass dome of some kind or a large bow. Do Not Skip this STEP! This will prevent filling from spreading when cut.

When cutting, dip a knife into hot water to prevent meringue from sticking to it.

Notes: I've had much success freezing individual slices placed on small pepper plates then placed in zip-lock bags. SimplybBring to room temperature to serve.

* Fresh whipped cream is a dream with this pie. NO baking. Cool the filling for several hours when added to crust.  Prepare whipped cream. Top and swirl. NO NO to Cool Whip**

Pie Crust

• (Makes one open-faced 10-in crust or one two-crust for a 7 or 8-inch pie)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch or two of salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled fat (butter, lard, shortening or a combo)
• 1/4 cup cold water

Place flour, baking powder and salt in a small food processor. Pulse to combine. Add cold fat and pulse just until combined and large lumps begin to form. Dribble water through top, pulsing as you go, until the dough masses into one lump and leaves the sides of the machine.

Remove. Knead just slightly with a bit of flour, if necessary. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

To bake the crust for lemon meringue pie: line plate with crust and flute. Prick crust with tines of a fork along the bottom and on the sides. Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes or,  just until golden. Check after five minutes and, if any bubbles appear, puncture with a fork to allow steam to escape. When cool, sprinkle with a bit of plain bread crumbs to fill in any "holes" from the fork tines.

Notes: I use a combination of butter/lard.

Long Island Iced Tea

This recipe lessens the "sour" aspect of this drink and emphasizes the Cola mixture with the alcohol.


One summer while nursing a poorly-made Long Island Iced Tea, my father and I bemoaned the fact it was getting more and more difficult to order a good one. Somewhere along a bartender's guideline, they morphed more into a tart, even sour, lemonade as less and less cola was added. Our solutions was to order a cola and then to add to it. 


My version below uses lots of ice and cola. I've always prepared it with cola sweetened from Splenda, but only because I normally don't drink sugared soft drinks. It will make a good 3-4 glasses and is perfect on a hot, summer's day. Or a festive winter's one . . . CHEERS!


Note: 1 1/2  ounce is equal to one "jigger." A "shot" equals one ounce.

• 4 cups ice, preferably store-bought, crystal ice and more for serving
• 1 jigger rum
• 1 jigger vodka
• 1 jigger gin
• 2 jiggers Triple Sec
• 1/2 jigger Tequila
• Juice from 1/2 lemon, save the lemon itself
• 1 cup Coke or Diet Coke, preferably Diet Coke made from Splenda

Mix all of the above ingredients in a large pitcher. To a large, tall glass, add one ounce of Coke or Diet Coke and ice. Add one lemon wedge and fill with above mixture.

As ice melts in the pitcher, add more ice.