Fare Exchange: Crunchy-Bottomed Biscuits the perfect base for sausage gravy

Jane Henegar

Welcome to Fare Exchange. We address the food of angels first.

Roseann Strazinsky of Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, wrote, "Can an angel food box mix ever be baked in a pan other than the angel food cake pan, like a 9- by 13-inch pan pan that I can cut into squares or poke the baked cake and pour some fruity Jell-O over it and serve it with Cool Whip?"

So tell us please what you have done with angel food cake, with angel food cake mix, with a variety of baking vessels.

Joyce Johnson is the second reader to request a recipe from the now-closed Broad Street institution, the Mount Vernon Restaurant. "Now that Mount Vernon is closed, is it possible to get the recipe for their Amaretto Pie?" Sweet celery dressing, sweet Amaretto pie: Please bring back those unforgettable tastes, you who hold the secrets. And if you don't have The Real Thing, but have found a close approximation, please send that too.

NO-FAIL BISCUITS

Valerie Bowers testified that there is no biscuit like the one that follows, printed in Southern Living "after baking hundreds of biscuits in our Test Kitchen. This no-fail biscuit recipe will impress new cooks and old pros alike."

Ms. Bowers echoed this assessment. "This is my go-to biscuit made with butter. Grating it and using a soft touch with the dough goes a long way for those of us who just pretend to have the green thumb biscuit gene."

Southern Living's Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), frozen

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup chilled buttermilk

Parchment paper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Grate frozen butter using large holes of a box grater. Toss together grated butter and flour in a medium bowl. Chill 10 minutes.

Make a well in center of mixture. Add buttermilk, and stir 15 times. Dough will be sticky.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle flour over top of dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 by 5 inches). Fold dough in half so short ends meet. Repeat rolling and folding process 4 more times. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch floured round cutter, reshaping scraps and flouring as needed. Place dough rounds on a parchment-paper-lined jellyroll pan. Bake at 475 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter.

Variations:

» For Pillowy Dinner Rolls: Cut in 1/2 cup cold shortening instead of cold butter. You'll get a soft biscuit that stays tender, even when cool. Plus, shortening has a neutral flavor that will complement anything on your dinner plate.

» For Sweet Shortcakes: Add 2 tablespoons sugar to the flour, and replace buttermilk with heavy cream. The sugar lends the biscuits a subtle sweetness, and the extra fat in heavy cream gives them a crumbly texture like shortbread. They're the perfect bases for shortcake desserts.

» For Crunchy-Bottomed Biscuits: Warm a cast-iron skillet in the oven, and spread a bit of butter in the skillet before adding the biscuits. The bottoms will end up crunchy and golden brown and provide a sturdy base that holds up to a smothering of sausage gravy.

» For Pickle Biscuits: Why didn't we think of these sooner? Stir 4 tablespoons drained dill pickle relish into buttermilk before adding to flour mixture. Split baked biscuits, and top with ham and mustard for the World's Best Ham Sandwich. We promise.

BISCUIT BOOST

Elsie Keith sent a word of biscuit encouragement from LaFayette, Georgia, for Hummingbird Man. "Don't get discouraged about the biscuits. Several can make the same recipe, following to the letter, and they will not all be the same. Just keep practicing and practicing until you get it like you want.

"Since Hummingbird Man is just starting, I would suggest the following." As you read on you will see that her recipe is a narrative instead of a list, but that seems appropriate for these general guidelines.

Elsie's Biscuits

White Lily self-rising flour (no other brand)

Buttermilk (never sweet milk)

Margarine or butter (you may use shortening, but the flavor is better with margarine)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Begin by sifting 1 cup flour; this will make approximately 4 normal-size biscuits. Cut off 2 tablespoons of a stick of margarine or butter, and grate them into the flour. Take a fork or pastry blender and work the margarine into the flour until it is very fine.

Add buttermilk, beginning with a small amount and gradually adding more until you get a dough that is soft, not dry, and that you can handle. You may need to add more buttermilk at the last. Take your spoon and gradually add a few drops at a time - a tablespoon may be too much at this point. If you accidentally get too much buttermilk, add a very small amount of flour.

Put dough on a board/counter/wax paper with some flour sifted on it. Work in the flour until the dough is manageable to handle. This won't take long.

Pat out or roll with a rolling pin to the thickness desired, and cut out the biscuits. Put in a greased pan (dark if you have one) and bake at 425 degrees.

I prefer a golden biscuit. I check the bottom of the biscuit, and when it is the shade I want, I then turn it to broil and watch carefully until it is the shade I want. If you want a crusty biscuit, just cook longer. Recipe may be doubled or tripled.

ENCHILADAS

Last week Clifford Burdette shared a recipe for green chile sauce. Here's his general comment: "This sauce can be used to create enchiladas or poured over chimichangas, tacos or burritos." And now he gets specific, today about enchiladas.

Green Chile Enchiladas

These tasty flat or rolled treats are made with corn tortillas filled with meat and/or cheese, either rolled or stacked, and covered with chile sauce and cheese. Enchiladas are easy to make and always hit the spot.

1/2 pound meat (chicken, pork or beef), chopped, shredded or ground

2 cups green chile sauce

1 dozen 6-inch corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly fry corn tortilla in hot oil (or steam for low-fat option).

Put tortillas on paper towel to drain excess oil.

Place tortilla on dinner plate. Add preheated green chilies, cooked meat and Cheddar cheese (lightly sprinkled).

Add another tortilla, and build two more layers.

Top with green chile and sprinkle more cheese on top.

Place under preheated oven broiler until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

Garnish with sour cream and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

There you have it, and here we have it all. Do come back next week for more of same.