Unless you’re Southern by birth — or by choice — you might not understand how an entire cookbook could be devoted to biscuits.
But if you’ve ever sat on a front porch shelling peas and popped one into your mouth, or bitten into a sun-warmed tomato fresh off the vine, you understand the appeal of simple tastes. And how a perfectly made biscuit — fluffy and buttery and just a tad crunchy on the edges — can transcend its simple ingredients.
Jackie Garvin, who grew up in the Deep South but now lives outside Tampa, Florida, once abandoned Southern cooking, lured by shiny magazines to the nouvelle and gourmet and unpronounceable. But once she realized that the recipes handed down to her were just as appealing, she returned to her roots.
Her new cookbook, “Biscuits,” is full of enticing recipes for everything from breakfast biscuits to strawberry shortcake. I found the recipe here perfect for sandwiches made from leftover roasts of beef or ham. The sour cream adds a tang, and the whisper of chives is a perfect accent.
Sour cream and chive drop biscuits
2 cups soft winter wheat self-rising flour (see note)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced and chilled
3 tablespoons chives, chopped
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut or rub in butter until flour resembles coarse meal. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mixed. Using a 1/3 cup ice cream scoop, drop even amounts of dough onto an oiled baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Makes 12.
Note: The author specifically calls for Dixie Lily self-rising flour, which any baker who has spent time in the South will recognize.
Per serving: 201 calories (54 percent from fat), 12.4 g fat (7.4 g saturated, 3.1 g monounsaturated), 32 mg cholesterol, 3.8 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 31 mg sodium.
Source: “Biscuits: Sweet and Savory Southern Recipes for the All-American Kitchen” by Jackie Garvin (Skyhorse Publishing, $19.99).
— Linda Cicero, Miami Herald
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