Here for Recipes to Rival? I Have Some . . . Awesome Biscuits for You!

Shirley Corrhiher’s Touch of Grace biscuits, to be exact.

“But, Madam Chow!” you say.  “Where is the “digestivo,” the limoncello that you made with organic lemons bought on sale at Whole Foods?”

At home.

“And the “antipasta,” the bruschetta?”

Eaten, with photos on my computer.  Which is at home.

The bruschetta was excellent, and I haven’t tried the limoncello, which I made with Stolichnaya vodka and the aforementioned organic lemons.  Both were lovely choices by our hostess this month, Lauren, of Fried Pickles and Ice Cream.  So, what’s going on?

I am out of town on taking care of a family emergency.  I managed to upload a few things before I hit the road, but not everything.  So, please check out the blogroll to see how others faired this month with the recipes, and read on for my review of these biscuits.

If you want to make light-as-air, fluffy biscuits, these are the ones for you.  I discovered several things when I made these.  First, I can make a decent biscuit.  Second, White Lily flour keeps for 8 years in the freezer, if it has been well wrapped.

Don’t judge me.

Third, I am a flaky-biscuit girl after all.  I will, however, keep this recipe tucked away in my repertoire of baked goods, to be served to those who like fluffy biscuits.

I think the original recipe would be waaaay to salty, not to mention too sweet, so I cut down on the salt and sugar, and substituted low fat cream cheese for the lard.  I baked all the biscuits in a 9-inch pie dish so that they would have soft sides.  Worked like a charm!

I found the following excellent explanation over at Orangette:

“This recipe relies on two principles: 1) that low-protein flour makes tender biscuits, and 2) that a wet dough creates lots of steam in the oven and makes biscuits extra-light. . . . The only tricky part is that you need Southern self-rising flour. It sounds finicky, but there’s a method to Corriher’s madness: Southern brands of flour are milled from a soft wheat that contains less gluten, meaning that they make a more tender biscuit. My favorite brand is White Lily, although I think I’ve also used Martha White, maybe, and Aunt Jemima brand. . . .  White Lily is hard to find outside of the East Coast and the South. Williams-Sonoma used to carry it, but they’ve stopped, and now I have to mail-order mine. Crazy, I know, but these biscuits are worth it. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll order some too.”

Recipe after the jump . . . .

Shirley Corriher`s Touch of Grace Biscuits
Adapted from a recipe by Shirley Corriher

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups Southern self-rising flour, such as White Lily (this is what I used)
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
¼ cup low fat cream cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour, for shaping biscuits (DO NOT use self-rising for this)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (optional, for coating the biscuits)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit, and spray an 8” round cake pan, or a 9-inch pie plate, with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the self-rising flour, salt, and sugar and whisk to mix well. Add the shortening and, using your fingers, rub it into the flour mixture until there are no lumps bigger than a large pea.  Or, alternatively, give the whole thing a whir in the food processor, then dump the mixture into a bowl.

Stir in the heavy cream and buttermilk, taking care not to overmix. Let stand for 2-3 minutes. The dough will be very wet, resembling large-curd cottage cheese.

Pour the all-purpose flour into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Rub your hands in the flour to dust them well. Using a ¼-cup measuring scoop or something of similar size, spoon a lump of wet dough into the flour, and sprinkle some flour over it to coat well. Gently pick it up and shape it into a soft round. I do this by cradling it in the cupped palm of one hand and gently shaking it, letting the excess flour fall through my fingers. You can also toss the dough softly – very softly – back and forth from cupped palm to cupped palm: it should feel similar to a water balloon. Place biscuit in pan and repeat with remaining dough, pushing biscuits tightly against one another so that they will rise up and not spread out.

If you like, brush with melted butter and bake until set and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool for a minute or two, then dump out and break apart into individual biscuits.

Serve immediately.

Yield: 10-12 biscuits