Strawberry Drop Biscuits NYTimes

  • 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons/85 grams cold salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 medium strawberries, cut into small 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch pieces (about 2/3 cup/100 grams), or whole blueberries, raspberries or other diced stone fruit
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more if needed
  • ¼ cup/30 grams unsifted confectioners’ sugar
  1. Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Set aside.
  2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Toss the pieces of butter into the flour mixture to coat. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work the butter into the flour until the mixture is mealy and small pieces of pea-size butter remain.
  3. Add the diced strawberries and toss with a fork to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream and 1/4 cup water. Continue tossing with the fork until the dough is just evenly damp and shaggy, being careful not to overwork the dough too much. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons more water, as needed, if the dough is still too dry to work with.
  4. Drop 6 mounds of dough (each a generous 1/3 cup) onto the baking sheet, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches of space between each mound and gently padding any stray bits of dough back into place as you work. Lightly brush the tops with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and bake until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the confectioners’ sugar to a small bowl, and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream, adding more if needed to make a thick icing that is just thin enough to drizzle. Spoon over the warm biscuits; serve warm or at room temperature.

Tomato and goat cheese cobbler

  • For the biscuit topping
  • 3/4 ccherry-tomato-goat-cheese-cobblerup plus 3 tablespoons (120 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (130 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
  • For the tomato filling
  • 2 pounds (1 kilogram) red and yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Leaves from 8 to 10 thyme sprigs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Healthy pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • Make the biscuit topping
  • 1. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Dump in the butter cubes. Using a pastry blender, work the butter until you have pea- to lima bean-size pieces. (If you have particularly cold hands, you can use your fingertips.) Drizzle in the buttermilk and toss the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly moistened.
  • 2. Plop the dough on a clean work surface. Press and squeeze the dough until it begins to hold together. (If you tossed it well with the fork, this should be a cinch. If you see dry spots, it’s best to use the fork to mix the dough instead of your hands. Whatever you do, don’t overwork the dough.) When all is said and done, you should still see pea-size bits of butter running through the dough.
  • 3. Shape the dough into a disc about 3/4 inch (2 centimeters) thick. Using a 1 1/2 inch (4 centimeter) biscuit cutter, cut out 9 biscuits. Gently gather the dough scraps together, press them into a slab again, and cut out more biscuits. (I was able to get 15 biscuits.) Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and slide them in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. (You can stash the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months to simplify throwing the cobbler together at the last minute easy. You’ll want to allow them a little extra time to thaw a little after taking them out of the freezer and before baking them.)
  • Make the tomato filling
  • 4. Crank your oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • 5. Toss the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, half the thyme, salt, and pepper in an ovenproof skillet. (I used a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and it worked marvelously.) Cover the skillet and cook on the stovetop over medium-high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the skillet and continue cooking until all the tomatoes have burst slightly and released their juices.
  • 6. Remove the biscuits from the freezer and generously brush the tops with the egg wash. Place them on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet, spacing them 1 inch (2 1/2 centimeters) apart.
  • 7. Bake the cobbler for 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and dot the goat cheese between the biscuits, covering any exposed tomato mixture. Return the whole shebang to the oven, bump up the heat to 450°F (232°C) and continue baking until the top is nicely browned, about 10 minutes more. Scatter the remaining thyme over the top and serve the cobbler warm or at room temperature, scooping the cobbler straight from the skillet at the table. If you’re like me, you’ll want to gild each serving with an extra crank or so freshly ground black pepper. The cobbler is best eaten the day it’s made. (Like it could ever make it to another day.)

Read more at http://leitesculinaria.com/96970/writings-tomato-and-goat-cheese-cobbler.html#TqXS2TLgIZrD1W6G.99

Baking Powder Biscuits, James Beard

beard-baking-powder-istock

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup milk
Additional melted butter for dipping

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Add baking powder and salt to the sifted flour, and sift again into a mixing bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers (or two knives or a heavy fork) until it is the consistency of cornmeal. Add milk and stir into the dough just enough to make the particles cling together. (It should be a very, very soft dough.) Turn onto a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute. Then either pat or roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness.
Cut out the biscuits into rounds or squares, according to your taste. Dip each in the melted butter and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet or pan. If you want them crisp all around, place them far apart; for fluffier biscuits, place close together. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Yield 12 to 18 biscuits