"biscuits" news and stories

Happy National Buttermilk Biscuit Day!

Nothing says breakfast more than the smell of flaky buttery biscuits wafting through the house... well, except for perhaps the salty scent of bacon sizzling on a skillet, depending on one's preferences. But those that embrace salty over sweet unanimously love the classic biscuit to start their day. Whether broken apart in flakes or peeled apart in layers to reveal a fluffy, steaming center, biscuits are a tangy, buttery no-fail food.

They're a safe bet at fast food joints like KFC and Popeyes; they're great thrown in the oven from Pillsbury's ready-made tubes; and they're positively sublime when baked from scratch at home, as indicated by Martha Stewart's recipe, pictured at left. Give some homebaked biscuits a shot yourself -- writes the blogger Slow Like Honey of the final product, "Pillsbury better watch out because if more people start baking their own biscuits with this recipe, they will be out of business."

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When most people think of pumpkin, the first thing that comes to mind is pie. But pumpkin is nutritious, inexpensive and the canned variety is available year-round, so there's no need to confine it just to sweet recipes.

One cup of canned pumpkin has about 80 calories and pumpkin is high in vitamin A and potassium, rich in dietary fiber and also contains nutrients like folate, manganese even omega-3 fatty acids. But when it comes to antioxidants, pumpkin is bursting with beta-carotene, which lends the squash its rich orange hue.

Since pumpkin-growing season is primarily in the fall, other fall foods like chestnuts, apples and sage make naturally delicious flavor combinations. Try layering fresh sheets of pasta in between canned pumpkin with a part-skim ricotta filling. Top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and sprinkle on a handful of toasted walnuts.

After the jump, see the Skinny Chef's recipe for Cheesy Pumpkin Biscuits.

A new Hardee's product needs a better name.

That's the premise of a risque ad campaign -- Name Our Holes -- for Hardee's Biscuit Holes, a dunkable cinnamon and sugar dough treat.

"Frosty Nuts," "Goody Balls" and "Happy Holes" are some of the tamer names floated in the commercials for the deep-fried biscuits.

• Artificial sweeteners aren't for diet products anymore. The Times outlines the ins and outs of sweeteners, and how they're not only entering our cooking but are also ripe for mixing with regular sugar.
• Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson talks about his vegan lifestyle and how sometimes he slips (but only to be polite).
• Delicious and buttery biscuits: How the Southern tradition moved out of the home and into our freezers.
• We try to keep our kitchens clean, but sometimes bacteria are so very welcome -- especially when you're making homemade yogurt.
• A sad love letter to Charles, a restaurant that disappointed, from Frannie Von Furstinshow.
• The Times investigates New York's burger scene, from wagyu, to a tasty side of french fries -- Flip, Black Iron Burger, and City Burger.
• Empanadas are pretty much the national food in Chile and can be made at home with a quick dough and tasty filling.
• A comforting recipe for Roasted Pepper Tacos with Cream -- "soulful, easy and deeply flavorful."
• Bouley Market is on its way to getting a cheese room, and gears up to sell restaurant-quality vegetables.
• In case you don't have enough gadgets, King Arthur Flour and Crate and Barrel offer shiny new products.

Two and a half months in, I can see through the Biscuit Matrix.

When I embarked upon my trawl toward biscuit perfection at the dawn of aught-nine, it was from a flat, sad, bitter place, indeed. Rather than crispy-footed, larded puffs of sweetly steaming layers reaching -- straining ever heavenward, my oven yielded depressing, molar-cracking pucks I refused to inflict upon my entirely un-picky dogs. Now my biscuits rock, and I'm pretty sure it's a matter of methodology rather than recipe.

Here's what I've learned after a couple dozen batches, and plenty of advice from Slashfood commenters, Facebook friends, cookbooks and Southern grandmas:

- Store the flour in the freezer, and sift it before measuring, even if it says "pre-sifted" on the bag. This has a direct effect upon the density. An overall low temperature keeps fat from heating, so use every opportunity to bring the chill. 3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour scooped straight from the bag can yield 5 cups after sifting. It makes a significant difference. Thus far, Southern Biscuit Self-Rising and White Lily All-Purpose have been very good to me.

- Whisk dry ingredients together, rather than stirring, in order to maintain airiness.

- Don't skimp on the salt, and even if it's not called for in the recipe, toss in a pinch of sugar to aid with a crunchy crust.