Biscuits and Stories

So I learned something about a friend the other night.
Tim loves biscuits and, maybe even more, he loves strawberry shortcake.
(Yes - this is/was Tim) Now, some people might not think twice about this news, but to a food-and-flour-freak like me, this is like an insight into someone's soul.

Biscuits are dear to my heart. I have an old, well-used and much-stained recipe card in a zip-lock bag in the pantry that is titled, Grandma Finch's Baking Powder Biscuits. When I left home back in 1983, that is one recipe that I had to take with me. It works everytime.

But biscuits are also the source of a personal story of shame and ridiculuousness. As it happened, baking powder biscuits was the recipe that was assigned for our first practical exam in culinary school. There was NOTHING difficult about the recipe. In fact, it was not terribly different from Grandma's, a recipe that I had made at least a hundred times. Face it, how much variation can there be in a biscuit recipe. But nerves, stress, the clock, and who knows what other stupidity invaded my brain and caused me to LEAVE OUT the baking powder. It was our first exam, I didn't know I could do it over, I was not familiar with a convection oven...blah blah, blah. So instead of submitting light, delicious biscuits to Chef W. for tasting and critique, I offered a plate of gluten-based hockey pucks. Seriously awful. AAAAARGH -- the shame, the horror, the end-of-the-world. Well, not really...but yes, at the time.

So I have since been on a bit of a mission, or an occasional mission, to perfect my biscuit. There are those that would say that biscuit skill may be genetic -- as in...there are those with "a biscuit hand" and those without. I doubt that. I'm not stupid. I'm trainable. But biscuits continue to be a struggle. (too tough, too heavy, underdone, delicious but ugly) Anyway -- last night we had leftovers -- roast chicken, beef stew -- so I made biscuits to accompany the dregs. They (the bisuits) were alright...Nik loved them, but of course he would. (gotta love him)

So here's Grandma's Biscuit Recipe and my adaptation...

AP Flour...............2 1/4 cups.................2 cups

Baking Powder.......4 tsp........................1 Tabl

Baking Soda........................................1 tsp

Cream of Tartar......1/2 tsp

Sugar...................3 Tablespoons

Salt.....................1 tsp.......................1 Tbl

Shortening............2 oz

Butter...............................................4 oz

Milk....................2/3 cup

Egg.....................1

Buttermilk..........................................3/4 cup

The technique is the same for each.

Sift the dry, cut in the fat, quickly/deftly add the liquid.

Fold a few times. Roll out and cut.

Place upside down on a baking sheet.

Brush with a dairy product.

Bake at 450..........10-12 min..................12-15 min

Grandma's Biscuits----------------------------------------My recipe

So here's the verdict -- Grandma's had a finer texture and, at least for this batch, rose more evenly, whereas my eggless adaptation was moister and flakier. Of course, the goal is to achieve the fine texture in a biscuit that is both moist and flaky. I preferred Grandma's but Nik liked my recipe. I told him that I thought a combination of the two would be best - he continued chewing but was essentially nonplussed by my analysis.

So...the trials continue...next time...a combination of butter and shortening AND include an egg with the buttermilk. Another day.