It seems a stretch to devote an entire book to biscuits, those delectable, pint-size bundles of flour and milk. But “Biscuit Bliss” (Harvard Common Press, $14.95) is pint-sized, too, and author James Villas makes a case not only with a wide assortment of recipes but also with informative tidbits sprinkled about.
The subhead, “101 Foolproof Recipes for Fresh and Fluffy Biscuits in Just Minutes,” is a bit misleading. Yes, the biscuits are quick to make–if not quite as fast as those crafted by Villas’ Aunt Toots (who needed neither recipes nor measuring tools and got the biscuits in the oven in 5 minutes flat). The “101” includes more time-consuming main dishes and desserts, as well as biscuits that require some kneading and rolling.
That said, the author does prove they’re easy to make, even if Americans–“spoiled” with biscuits-in-a-can and/or freezer-case–have been conditioned to substituting convenience over flavor, even when the time saved is probably less than 20 minutes.
That seems a pity, given the biscuit’s storied heritage. Villas writes that the biscuit dates to “a crude Roman bread made in the first century A.D.” Its lineage continued through the Middle Ages, when it provided sustenance to the English (who called them “bysquytes”) and the French. And “ship’s biscuits” fed travelers on the long ocean crossings from old worlds to new. The introduction of commercial baking powder and yeast in the 19th Century brought the biscuit, literally, to new heights.
Villas, who was food and wine editor for Town & Country magazine for nearly 30 years, is a native of the South. Those familiar with his earlier books will know of his mother’s cooking prowess, a talent that includes biscuits. In fact, Villas’ first-page acknowledgements end with this sentence: “Finally a big peck on the cheek to the greatest biscuit expert of them all, namely my Southern mother, Martha Pearl Villas, who still says I don’t know a thing about making biscuits.”
Well, the book proves her wrong. And speaking of Mama, Villas’ recipe for his mother’s buttermilk biscuits earned mostly favorable reviews. A couple of tasters thought they would be improved with the low-protein flour so prized by Southern cooks, but that’s an observation Villas himself makes. Fortunately, his recipes don’t depend on a product that’s not widely available across the country. And he offers a substitution tip any home cook could manage: Combine two parts all-purpose flour to one part cake flour.
We also tried an entree-and-biscuit combo, Texas chili on jalapeno buttermilk biscuits, which warmed the taste buds–literally and figuratively speaking–of everyone who tried it on a snowy winter afternoon. It was on the greasy side (for the record, we liked that), and delivered a pleasant heat kick from red pepper. The sturdy little biscuits, made with lard and flecked with jalapeno, provided a perfect foundation for the soupy chili.
The recipes are written in straightforward prose, though Villas seems to prefer one long sentence when breaking things up might be easier for a reader to digest. His authoritative voice bears faint echoes of his opinionated mother, too: He tells you when you can be flexible, but he’s a stalwart on when you can’t. (Don’t even think about using vegetable shortening instead of lard in those jalapeno biscuits.)
That is fitting. In an era of prepackaged pretenders and just-add-water counterfeits, it’s nice to see somebody defending the biscuit’s honor.
Mother’s buttermilk biscuits
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Yield: 16 biscuits
In “Biscuit Bliss,” James Villas refers to this recipe as “the queen of all biscuits.” He adds this important note: “Begin watching the biscuits very carefully after about 12 minutes to make sure the tops don’t overbrown.”
2 cups all-purpose flour, see note
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening
1 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the shortening and cut it in with a pastry cutter or rub with your fingertips till the mixture is mealy. Gradually add the buttermilk, stirring with a wooden spoon just till the dough is soft and slightly sticky.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and, using a light touch, turn the edges toward the middle, pressing with your hands. Press the dough out 1/2-inch thick and cut straight down into even rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Pat the scraps together and cut out more rounds.
4. Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet no more than 1/2-inch apart and bake in the upper third of the oven till lightly browned on top, about 12 minutes.
Test Kitchen note: If soft, low-protein Southern flour is unavailable for making biscuits, an acceptable substitute can be made by combining 2 parts all-purpose flour with 1 part cake flour.
Nutrition information per biscuit:
91 calories, 33% of calories from fat, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0.6 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 220 mg sodium, 0.4 g fiber
Texas chili on jalapeno buttermilk biscuits
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
James Villas writes in “Biscuit Bliss” that “this is the greatest way on earth to eat chili.” If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, the top of a glass will work fine.
Chili:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 pounds ground beef chuck
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 18-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 15.5-ounce can pinto beans, drained
Salt and black pepper to taste
Jalapeno buttermilk biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled lard, cut into pieces
2 small jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced
1 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. To make the chili, heat the oil over moderate heat in a large, heavy pot or skillet, add the onions, bell pepper and garlic, and stir till the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up any lumps, till it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano and pepper flakes and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, water and beans, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring from time to time.
3. To make the biscuits, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the lard and rub it in with your fingertips till the mixture is mealy. Add the jalapenos and buttermilk and stir till just blended but still sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead about 8 times. Pat out the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut out rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Pat the scraps together and cut out more rounds. Arrange them on a large baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake in the center of the oven till golden, about 15 minutes.
4. To serve, split the biscuits in half, arrange two halves on each plate, and spoon the chili over the tops.
Nutrition information per serving:
664 calories, 37% of calories from fat, 28 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 62 g carbohydrates, 45 g protein, 1,597 mg sodium, 9.5 g fiber
