Southern Biscuits and a Slew of Cookbooks

On a recent trip to Charleston, Nathalie Dupree, my mentor and close friend, met my husband for the first time. We have been married nearly 10 years, but the two of them had never laid eyes on each other. For years, I’ve tried to describe her vivaciousness, tell-it-like-it-is, incredibly welcoming in any situation, and incomparable personality. He liked her immediately.

It was in 1998 that I started working for Nathalie as an apprentice. I cooked on most days at Nathalie’s house, but the looming cookbook library always drew me into the hall in between recipes. It was this enormous collection of cookbooks that desperately needed to be catalogued and put in order.

Being the well mannered, eager to please Southern girl I am, I volunteered before thinking it through. Nathalie’s cookbook collection was almost endless and seemed to me to be the largest in the world. The books lined the main hall that was nearly the length of the house and were displayed on towering dark mahogany stained bookshelves. It didn’t take but a few seconds in the house to recognize the intriguing vague scent of ink, paper, and binding.

To get started on my new assignment, I met with a UGA librarian and was convinced the Dewey decimal system was the way to go. I now know I would have been more qualified to analyze chemical compounds. It wasn’t long before I realized I was in way over my 21-year-old head. Thank goodness, we then decided to make general sections, number each book in each section, and then catalogue each book digitally.

I came in an extra day each week to work on the library. I often sat in the floor and fell into the books I was deployed to organize. Nathalie didn’t mind and even encouraged me to “check-out” books to read. It was during one of these days that I was folded up on the floor engrossed in Damon Lee Fowler’s Classical Southern Cooking. It almost sounds unbelievable, but at that very instant, Damon walked in the side door. He had come through town to pick up Nathalie for an event that I don’t recall.

When Damon walked by and Nathalie introduced him, I was practically in awe. It seemed her house was the home base for all things Southern. It is this library that I aspire to recreate and still think about often. It’s quite a luxury to be surrounded by books, glorious books. My own cookbook library now takes up a wall in my office. I have an entire shelf devoted to only Nathalie’s books. Most authors only dream of publishing as many books as Nathalie has written. My “Nathalie shelf” just got more crowded.

Her brand new Southern Biscuits, written with Cynthia Graubart, is hot off the press and is a tome of the puffed and golden delicacy. It’s a real book – heavy enough to need two hands to hold and large enough to take up an entire lap when reading. I have made biscuits with Nathalie on several occasions and I can testify that she makes a dang good biscuit.

Most cooks have one or two biscuit recipes they revisit regularly, but this book has opened the door to a new world of this Southern specialty. It, of course, includes Basic Southern Biscuits, but the glass ceiling has been lightly sprinkled with flour and shattered into pieces. Between the Pimento Cheese Biscuits and Senator Hollings’ Flaky Appetizer Cream Cheese Biscuits and Gullah Biscuits, I couldn’t preheat my oven fast enough.

With lessons on flours, fats, and leavening, literally everything anyone will need to succeed at making the perfect batch of biscuits can be found in these pages. Readers learn how to slide a baking pan on the oven shelf under baking biscuits to slow browning. Twist the cutter and the biscuit will be lopsided. Even included is the fact that biscuits made from dough scraps are tougher in texture.

Practically anyone can turn out successful batch after batch of biscuits with the help of Southern Biscuits. It’s a worthy addition to any cookbook library, large or small.

Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart, $21.99

Allison’s Easy Sour Cream Biscuits

Makes 12 to 14 (2 1⁄ 2-inch) biscuits

Sour cream biscuits are among the easiest of

all the biscuits to make. Using a homemade

or commercial self-rising flour makes it easier

again, as then only two ingredients are needed.

The acid in the milk products tenderizes the

biscuits as well as activates the baking powder

already incorporated in the flour. This recipe is

enormously easy and makes exceedingly tender,

moist, and fluffy biscuits with a tang. They have

a great rise, to about three times their height.

2 1/4 cups commercial or home made self-rising flour, divided

1 1/4 cups sour cream, divided

Softened butter, for brushing.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Select the baking pan by determining if a soft or crisp exterior

is desired. For a soft exterior, use an 8- or 9-inch cake pan,

pizza pan, or oven-proof skillet where the biscuits will nestle

together snugly, creating the soft exterior while baking. For

a crisp exterior, select a baking sheet or other baking pan

where the biscuits can be placed wider apart, allowing air to

circulate and creating a crisper exterior, and brush the pan

with butter.

Fork-sift or whisk 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl,

preferably wider than it is deep, and set aside the remaining

1⁄4 cup.

Make a deep hollow in the center of the flour with the back

of your hand. Pour 1 cup of sour cream into the hollow,

reserving the remaining 1⁄4 cup, and stir with a rubber

spatula or large metal spoon, using broad circular strokes to

quickly pull the flour into the sour cream. Mix just until the

dry ingredients are moistened and the sticky dough begins

to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Use the reserved

sour cream as needed to incorporate the remaining flour into

the shaggy wettish dough. If the dough is too wet, use more

flour when shaping.

Lightly sprinkle a board or other clean surface using some

of the reserved flour. Turn the dough out onto the board and

sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour. With floured

hands, fold the dough in half, and pat dough out into a

1⁄3- to 1⁄2-inch-thick round, using a little additional flour only

if needed. Flour again if necessary, and fold the dough

in half a second time. If the dough is still clumpy, pat

and fold a third time. Pat dough out into a 1⁄2-inch thick

round for a normal biscuit, 3⁄4-inch-thick for a tall

biscuit, and 1-inch-thick for a giant biscuit. Brush off

any visible flour from the top. For each biscuit, dip a

2 1⁄2-inch biscuit cutter into the reserved flour and cut

out the biscuits, starting at the outside edge and cutting

very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter.

The scraps may be combined to make additional biscuits,

although these scraps make tougher biscuits.

Using a metal spatula if necessary, move the biscuits to

the pan or baking sheet. Bake the biscuits on the top

rack of the oven for a total of 8 to 10 minutes until light

golden brown. After 4 minutes, rotate the pan in the

oven so that the front of the pan is now turned to the

back, and check to see if the bottoms are browning too

quickly. If so, slide another baking pan underneath to

add insulation and retard browning. Continue baking

another 4 to 6 minutes until the biscuits are light golden

brown. When the biscuits are done, remove from the

oven and lightly brush the tops with softened or melted

butter. Turn the biscuits out upside down on a plate to

cool slightly. Serve hot, right side up. 

* If the sour cream is too thick, add a little milk

T i p: If the sour cream is too thick, add a little milk.

Normally, however, adding milk to thin is not necessary.

Excerpted from Southern Biscuits ©2011Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart. Photos by Rick McKee.
Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. 

Copyright © 2011 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved. 

www.rebeccalangcooks.com

Every Crispy, Gooey, and Buttery Bite

In a food world that is overflowing with self-proclaimed experts and one in which the term “chef” is used without either experience or education, it is nothing short of refreshing to dive into a cookbook written by an authority that has earned every ounce of her praise and success. To say Laura Werlin is a well-respected authority on American cheese is like saying that there are just a few grape vines in California. She is the author of four books as well as a James Beard Award winner and is simply a delightful personality. Watch one of her videos to see in person.

Grilled Cheese, Please! is a fun, lighthearted, and mouthwatering book on a subject that just about every living soul loves. Have you every heard of someone that didn’t like grilled cheese sandwiches? Laura takes her immense knowledge of cheese and really puts it to use with every gooey, crispy, and buttery bite. It’s brilliant - grilled cheese sandwiches are a topic that transcends gender, age, income, and all other divides.

I’ve been a fan of Laura’s for years. Quick-Fix Southern and Grilled Cheese, Please! were both released on March 8. We even had the same incredible editor, Jean Lucas, at Andrews McMeel Publishing. We also share the same fabulous literary agent. As I type this on a plane (somewhere over Mississippi), we are both hitting the road to promote our new books at the same time. It’s very much like having a baby on the same day as a friend. We’ll always have something in common.

Grilled Cheese, Please! is a well rounded book of sandwiches that leave the standard grilled cheese in the dust. This is her second book on grilled cheese and a must have for any kitchen. In addition to her dreamy recipes, Laura also includes recipes from food trucks and well-known restaurants.  She also has sides for grilled cheese sandwiches. Who can want more?
I can think of nothing better than warming up my skillet when I get home for the sole purpose of cooking up her Chips and Guacamole Grilled Cheese. 

Chips and Guacamole Grilled Cheese

In this recipe, tortilla chips are on the outside of the bread to give the sandwich its corn-like flavor and to give you the ability to enjoy all the flavors – the guacamole, bacon, cheeses, and corn chips all at once. Although I prefer using Colby and Monterey Jack separately in this recipe, you can use the combination cheese, Colby-Jack, if you prefer.

8 slices bacon

8 large tortilla chips (about 2 ounces)

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

8 slices sourdough bread

½ cup guacamole (recipe follows;  or use purchased preferably one with tomato in it)

2 tablespoons peeled, seeded, finely diced (1/4-inch) Roma tomato (see Note)

4 ounces Colby cheese, coarsely grated

4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

4 ounces goat cheese

Line a plate with paper towels. In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until very crisp. Drain the bacon on the paper towels. Remove the bacon fat from the pan and wipe the pan with a paper towel, but do not wash it. Set aside.

To make the tortilla chip butter, put the chips in the bowl of a food processor and process until the texture is very fine, similar to sand. Alternatively, place the chips in a sturdy plastic bag. Using a meat mallet or other heavy object, pound the chips until they are the texture of sand. 

Put the butter in a medium bowl and add the ground chips. Using a fork, work the chip “sand” and butter together until well mixed. The mixture will be somewhat stiff.

To assemble: Spread the butter mixture on one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices, butter-chip mixture side down, on your work surface. Spread 2 tablespoons of the guacamole on each slice of bread. Sprinkle the tomato on top of the guacamole, if using. Follow with the Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses. Dot with small pieces of the goat cheese. Finish by placing two bacon pieces on each sandwich. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered side up.

For stovetop method: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches into the pan, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden brown. Watch carefully because the chips in the butter can burn easily. Turn the sandwiches, pressing each one firmly with a spatula to compress the filling slightly. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the undersides are well browned. Turn the sandwiches once more, press firmly with the spatula again, cook for 1 minute, and remove from the pan. Let cool 5 minutes. Cut in half and serve.

For sandwich maker method: Use your sandwich maker for this sandwich only if you have variable heat settings. Otherwise, it will cook too hot and burn the chips on the bread without melting the cheese. To use your sandwich maker, follow directions for assembly above. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: There’s no need to use the tomato if your guacamole already has tomato in it.

Guacamole

Chef Deborah Schnieder has spent a lot of time south of the border in Baja, Mexico. She now brings her Mexican cooking experience north to her Orange County restaurant, SOL Cocina. I adapted her guacamole recipe because of its lovely balance of flavors, which is often tricky to achieve when it comes to making this quintessential avocado dip. 

1 ripe Hass avocado

1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice (from about 1 lime)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons finely diced white onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

½ serrano chile, minced (optional)

1 tablespoon cored, seeded and diced Roma tomato

Split and pit the avocado, and mash the avocado flesh in a medium bowl with the lime juice and salt, using a potato masher or a fork. Do not use a blender or food processor. You want to keep the avocado slightly chunky, not make it soupy. Stir in the onion, cilantro, chile, and tomato. Let sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.   

Note: This makes more than you need for the sandwiches. Serve the remaining guacamole with chips alongside.

Makes about 1 cup

Excerpted from Grilled Cheese, Please! ©2011 Laura Werlin. Photos by Maren Caruso.
Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. 

Copyright © 2011 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved. 

www.rebeccalangcooks.com

10 Things to Know About Cast Iron Pans

I have a general rule that all my cast iron pans must be older than I am. My most treasured cast iron skillet was my grandmother’s. It’s smooth as glass and so shiny I can almost check my make-up while I’m cooking. On most days, you’ll find it in its permanent home on top of my stove. With a little knowledge about the signature pan of the South, family heirlooms are as close as the kitchen.

10 Things to Know About Cast Iron Pans

1. Cast iron holds heat incredibly well.

2. Seasoning the pan means that the pores of the iron have absorbed oil.

3. Well-seasoned pans have a non-stick service.

4. Cast iron is one of very few kinds cookware that will outlive you. They are commonly passed down from generation to generation.

5. Never ever wash cast iron in the dishwasher. Always store the pans clean and dry.

6. Season a pan by rubbing with vegetable oil and “cooking” the pan in the oven for 1 hour at 400˚.

7. If an old cast iron pan feels sticky to the touch, the seasoning oil has gone rancid. Use soap-free steel wool to remove the sticky film. Then re-season the pan.

8. If food is stuck on the pan, clean with a little water and a stiff brush. Heat the cleaned pan on top of the stove to thoroughly dry all the water and use a kitchen towel to rub on a light coating of oil.

9. For light cleaning, just rub the pan with kosher salt and wipe clean with a towel.

10. If stacking cast iron skillets for storage, place a paper plate in between each one.

Lazy Girl Berry Cobbler

Serves 6 to 8

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup Southern All-Purpose Flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

4 cups fresh blackberries

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter in the oven while it is preheating. Once the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the oven.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk the buttermilk into the flour mixture.

Pour the batter over the melted butter in the hot skillet. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the batter.

Bake for 50 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Super Quick Super Bowl Snack and Side

Blue Cheese and Bacon Popcorn

Serves 4 to 6

1 (3.3-ounce) bag natural microwave popcorn

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 ounces Maytag blue cheese

4 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Pop the popcorn according to package directions, being careful not to burn it.  Pour the popcorn into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle about half of the melted butter over the popcorn. Grate about half of the cheese over the popcorn.  Sprinkle with half of the bacon and half of the rosemary. Toss the popcorn and repeat with the remaining melted butter, cheese, bacon, and rosemary. Serve immediately.

Mama’s Baked Beans

Serves 4 to 6

1 (28-ounce) can bacon and brown sugar baked beans, drained

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup finely diced white onion

4 to 5 slices bacon (about 5 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

Combine the beans, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and onion in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the beans into a lightly greased 9 by 9-inch baking dish. Top the beans with the bacon slices.

Bake at 375˚F for 40 minutes, or until the bacon is done.

 

The Day Our Skillet Went Cold

It was on this day, only 8 years ago, that our family lost my beloved grandmother, Tom. I’ve never written about that day. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve spoken of it with more than a handful of people. There are three days in my life that each and every detail live on so vividly in my mind and this is one of them. I was with her on the exact moment she no longer was on this Earth. It is equally as precious as the minutes when my children were born.

Tom was healthy her entire life, much more so than any other person I’ve known. She cooked daily until she was 100, never had a problem with arthritis, and often wore Nike running shoes the last few years of her life. Only weeks before her death, she was confined to a hospital bed, but still, uttered not one single complaint. Just like always, she never missed a moment to say, “I love you,” or to hold our hands.

I have always felt that Tom and I were connected on an even deeper level than that of a grandchild and grandparent. Our pure love of the kitchen bound us like nothing else could. It was her cast iron skillet filled with fried chicken that first taught me how comfort and love could be tasted and shared without saying a word.

For years, we cooked together, ate together, and talked for countless hours about recipes, cookbooks, and our loves of fat back, Coke in bottles, and Nathalie Dupree. One of her finest days was when Mama brought her to cook with Nathalie and me in the very kitchen she’d seen on television so many times. Simply by sharing a stove, she taught me how imperative the act of cooking can be to a state of real happiness. Being blessed with the gift of sharing the moment when her soul went Home seemed natural and was the ultimate last chapter in our long story together.

My parents and I were with her all day, talking of everything we could think to say. We tried to fill the empty air with subjects that would keep all of our minds off the fact that her death was eminent. We talked about food, work, family, friends, and memories of days gone by. The nurses kept coming in and out, checking Tom’s pulse and blood pressure, which of course reminded us of why we were all there.

A family friend, Jane Knowles, came in to visit Tom one last time. She held Tom’s hand, stroked her hair, and sang Holy Ground with a voice that was nothing short of an angel’s. It was during this magnificent song that Tom left us and went on to meet the Lord she so dearly loved. It’s as if she waited for Jane and her hymn to say goodbye to all of us. Recalling these few minutes of witnessing my Tom drift away leaves me short on words and overflowing with tears.

In memory of Tom and her life so very well lived, I share her fried chicken recipe that has brought me comfort hundreds of times. It is with her skillet that I cook on and never forget.

Tom’s Fried Chicken

1 (3.5 pound) cut-up whole chicken

1/4 cup salt

1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup salt and cover with cold water. Soak the chicken for 45 minutes. 

Remove the chicken from the salt water and drain on paper towels.

Heat the shortening in an 8-inch cast iron skillet or a large deep skillet to about 360 degrees.

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Coat each piece completely with flour, shake off the excess and gently place the chicken in the hot shortening.  Fry 10 to 12 minutes per side or until golden brown, about 25 minutes total. Fry chicken in batches to prevent the skillet from becoming crowded. 

Check the temperature of the oil occasionally.  If the oil is too hot, the chicken will be too brown on the outside but not fully cooked through.

Drain fried chicken on a cooling rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet.

Serves 4 to 6

 

My Moveable Feast

New Year’s weekend always takes me on a one of a kind adventure of cooking in a dormitory on the Georgia coast. My dad has been the coordinator and compiler of The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count on Sapelo Island for about 45 years. Since I’m not a qualified birder (and you have to be in order to be invited), I attend for a reason and one reason only. I cook for the group of 16 birders on both nights.
Like most daughters, I think the world of my father. My dad has been a student of ornithology since his high school years and has an unwavering respect for the undeveloped coast. Dad, a former student of Dr. Eugene P. Odum, is right in his element during this birding weekend and I'm very blessed to get to spend it with him. Now that my husband has taken up birding as well, it is an annual weekend with my two favorite men.

We sleep and cook in the dorms of UGA’s Marine Institute. After several years of spending this special weekend in the dorm, I’ve streamlined my cooking and now have it down to a science. It only takes producing a meal in a dorm kitchen once to learn a long list of lessons of what works and what doesn’t. For example, my first trip I made shrimp and grits from scratch in the tiny, badly equipped kitchen. That was not a good idea.

I now cook a great deal of the food ahead of time and pack it into coolers. I also pack my knives, a few basics like cutting boards and tongs, and some kitchen towels and an apron. To get to the dock, it’s about a 5-hour drive from our house before a much anticipated short and breathtaking ferry ride to the island.

My menus change from year to year, so I’m always thinking of recipes that feed a crowd and can be made ahead. I took my Fast Brunswick Stew this year and it worked perfectly. I made it at home, packaged it, and packed it on ice. All it needed on the island was reheating. Because it’s ready to go, I have the luxury of more time to enjoy the island with my camera before supper.

I rode a bicycle most of the day on Saturday, taking in meandering creeks through the salt marsh, exploring the property once owned by RJ Reynolds, and reading while listening to the surf. Every cook should be so lucky.

Fast Brunswick Stew

Makes about 17 cups

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (15.25-ounce) cans whole kernel corn or 3 cups frozen kernel corn, thawed

2 (15-ounce) cans sweet peas or 3 cups frozen sweet peas, thawed

2 (14.5-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes with onions and celery

1 (14.75-ounce) can cream-style sweet corn

3 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles

3 cups chopped barbecued pork

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (1/2 rotisserie chicken)

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons salt (see Note)

Brown the ground beef in a large stockpot over medium heat. Use a spatula or a spoon to break up any large clumps as it cooks. Drain the meat and return to the stockpot.

While the beef is browning, drain the cans of whole kernel corn and sweet peas. If canned stewed tomatoes are in large pieces, use a pair of kitchen scissors to chop them slightly, right in the can. Once the beef is browned and drained, add the drained corn, peas, and stewed tomatoes to the ground beef.

Add the cream-style corn, tomato sauce, green chiles, barbecued pork, chicken, vinegar, brown sugar, hot sauce, lemon zest and juice, and salt to the stockpot. Simmer the stew for 15 minutes.

Note: The amount of salt is going to depend on the brand of canned items. Some vary more in salt amounts than others. Taste for salt and add as you need it.

Copyright © 2011 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC

Warm Curried Fruit

Here's a short note and an easy recipe for a traditional and unique side for your holiday table. Christmas is just days away and my kitchen is filled with groceries, mulling spices, and two little ones in the floor with monster trucks and tea sets. Experiencing Christmas with my children is a gift like nothing else. Their excitement is literally contagious. I am grateful for every second of the season.
Curried fruit is an old Southern holiday favorite. It's not as common as it once was, but it is worth revisiting. It's divine with roasted duck, turkey and I'm serving it for Christmas dinner with a standing rib roast. Enjoy every bite and each single blessing of Christmas.

Warm Curried Fruit

Serves 6 to 8

1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in 100% juice

1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in 100% juice

2 (15-ounce) cans sliced peaches in 100% juice

3/4 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dried raspberries

1/2 cup chopped dried strawberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Lightly spray a 7 by 11-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Drain the pineapple chunks, pear halves, and sliced peaches and toss the fruit together in a large mixing bowl. Reserve the juice for another use. Add the cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and pecans and stir well.

Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Stir the brown sugar, curry, and vinegar into the hot butter. Pour over the fruit.

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm.