Monday, September 29, 2008

It's Biscuit Time!

Bread is one of the quintessential food staples that unites most cultures on earth through its innumerable incarnations. Bread has been integral to the diet of countless peoples, aligning itself in a shared destiny with humans as grain crops dominated agricultural practices. Steven L. Kaplan is a scholar interested in the cultural and culinary history of bread, demonstrating that bread was and remains the lifeblood of French society and diet. Bread stands as a social and gastronomic equalizer, adorning French tables from the lowliest peasant in Bordeaux to the wealthiest bourgeois in Paris. Bread is clearly a big deal and I happen to find it quite delicious though I seldom bake and sadly did not inherit my mother’s passion for flour, salt, and water. She is truly a wonderful baker. As far as food goes, one of my favorite parts of visiting her upstate is the delectable baguettes she whips up virtually from scratch (I am working on the art, hopefully a recipe for the Parmesan and caramelized onion baguettes will be available soon!). Needless to say, I am a fan of bread and who isn’t really? What is wrong with the tasty roll, crunchy baguette, dense black bread, or occasional olive or nut loaf besides the irrationally and unjustly feared carbohydrate component? The other day Valerie had a craving for biscuits and wanted to try a recipe inspired by a biscuit she experienced recently at a cafe in the Lower East Side. I love biscuits though I do not encounter them often enough and rarely have cravings for them...until now. These are really delicious and very easy to make with few ingredients and minimal effort required, I suggest making them for your next brunch as we did with some scrambled eggs.

Savory Biscuits with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Feta, and Spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

2 1/4 cup Bisquick

2/3 cup whole milk


1. Briefly sauté garlic until just
beginning to color in olive oil.
2. Mix tomatoes, cooked garlic, spinach, and feta in a bowl.

3. Prepare biscuit dough with Bisquick and milk in a second bowl. Incorporate the other ingredients with your fingers and form into balls.
4. Bake on a cookie sheet for 16 minutes give or take depending on your oven. Eat.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Diggin' the blog, Jack. Nice work. I'm always looking for breakfast ideas and look forward to sharing this with my family over the holidays.

Anonymous said...

Jacques,
C'est magnifique! Je ne vais pas essayer moi-meme tes recettes parce que je n'ai toujours pas appris a cuisiner mais je vais les montrer a mon mari. Je suis si contente que tu aies garde la saveur de tes origines!
I.P.de CH