Tag Archives: Bisuits ‘n …

Tea & Biscuits

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May 2012

Sometimes simple and sophisticated packaging properly represents its contents.  Sometimes a spot of tea is worth a bit of decadence.  Sometimes tea inspires more than just musings, even though inspired musings are worth a shiny penny as well.

Tea for two is usually best, but sometimes a third little, tiny explorer is welcome as well.

Tea and biscuits are a pair made for quiet, slow mornings. This time, tea and biscuits were a very perfect pair connected via flavors of coconut and almond.

Coconut Almond Buckwheat Biscuits
With Peaches ‘n Cream 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup local buckwheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup unsulphured coconut shreds
12 Tablespoons (1 stick) organic, unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sliced almonds
1 ½ cups local buttermilk (or 1 ½ cups local milk + 1 ½ Tbs lemon juice)
½ teaspoon organic almond extract

Directions

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch skillet.

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda and shredded coconut in a large bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour mixture until the combination resembles coarse meal.

Add the sliced almonds.

Stir in the buttermilk until combined.

Use a greased ½-cup measuring cup to transfer heaping portions of dough into the prepared skillet.

Bake until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Cool in the skillet slightly.

Serve with homemade whipped cream and warm, sweet peaches.

Whipped Topping

1 cup organic heavy cream
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Honey, to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a chilled bowl.  Use an electric mixer to beat until peaks form.  Keep chilled until ready to serve and eat abundantly.

Peach Topping

Ingredients

4-5 organic peaches, pitted and sliced
organic unsalted butter
organic brown sugar, to taste

Directions

Add a smidge or two of butter to a pan over medium heat.  Add the sliced peaches.  Swirl the peaches around until they start to brown ever so slightly.  Add brown sugar to your taste, and continue to swirl a bit.  Remove from heat.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Salty Sage Biscuit Brunch Sandwiches

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February 2012

Look at the sun shining on that butter and the flour clinging to those kitchen tools.

In my minty colored kitchen, that combination could easily mean a morning batch of pancakes, which I could happily eat once a week.  For the sake of variety, and for the sake of keeping my chief pancake flipper guessing, I diverged from my Saturday morning creature comforts.

I sure did!  I said “sage” too!  Then I started talking about cheese, and from there, things became a little salty but fortunately, not in the sassy or sarcastic sense of the word.

Salty Sage Biscuits for Breakfast Sandwiches
Makes 5 larger biscuits or 10 small biscuits
(the pictured biscuits were on the smaller side)

Biscuit Ingredients

3/4 cup chestnut flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
Fresh sage, chopped
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 stick organic, unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
3/4 cup buttermilk (I was fresh out, so I used this method for homemade buttermilk)

Recommended Breakfast Sandwich Filling

Sliced Porqueta
Aged gouda
Eggs (local/free-range), sunny side up

For the Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Position rack in the middle. Line a baking stone with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper and pecorino cheese. Add the chopped sage.

Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand.

Add the buttermilk, and stir until a dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and knead it until it comes together.

Pat the dough into a rectangle, about 1 in thick.

Use a small, round cutter, stamp out as many biscuits as possible. Reroll the scraps if necessary and repeat.

Transfer the biscuits to the baking stone, and bake for about 20-30 minutes, until golden and risen.

Let the biscuits cool.

Fill the biscuits with slices of porqueta, aged gouda and sunny side up eggs.

Enjoy lazily with someone special!

Might I also suggest a tiny teapot of this chai?