Biscuits, what more is there to say on this ‘eat with everything’ baked-good, but I’ll elaborate just for the fun of things. I’ve come a long way from only eating my Ma’s baking soda biscuits on Saturday nights. She didn’t make them often, but we looked forward to eating them every time. With the rim of a water glass used to measure out uncooked par-boiled rice, Ma would cut the thin dough made with water into circles and baked off eight biscuits (two for each of us) to eat with butter and cheese, washed down with a hot cup of milky, sweet Lipton tea. I remember the last time I ate them. I could not have been older than eight years when an impending hurricane was to hit the island. That rainy, windy, mad dark and cold Saturday evening, Ma silently prepared biscuits for us making sure we went to bed with our bellies filled. Sunday morning the sun peaked through, the island wasn’t hit too badly by the storm.
From all sorts of added ingredients, if to use buttermilk versus heavy cream and whole milk wars, different and new techniques, to having biscuit themed brunched parties. Today, please…biscuits are so damn fancy – and I love it! So when I read in Food & Wine’s June magazine that Atlanta baker Abigail Quinn of Proof Bakesop and Cakes & Ale shared her recipe for a ‘strawberry shortcake’ biscuit. Yes! I craved thee and had to try my hand at this recipe for I’ve always had savory biscuits and this variation promised a sweet and seasonal taste.
The recipe was very easy to follow and so right for the summer. Food & Wine is a great culinary publication and they look out for readers by color coding recipes by easy, healthy, make ahead, vegetarian and staff favs in their recipe index. I await their Best New Chefs edition every year and in last month’s copy I thoroughly enjoyed Kate Krader’s interview with Questlove. His new book, Somethingtofoodabout inspired by a pilgrimage to Tokyo, he is asked questions of how he came to highlight and work with the talented chefs featured in his book and how these chefs are shape shifting their regional food game. Plus Quest KNOWS his food. For real.
You can find the recipe to the Strawberry Crème Fraiche Biscuits on Food & Wine’s website. But read below on my remarks of the recipe. It’s worth making if not for yourself and family at home for a gathering of friends at a potluck brunch or other summer event. Trust, you are totally stealing the spotlight with these biscuits 🙂
Notes
If you can’t find crème fraiche sour cream can be used.
I bought strawberries from the farmer’s market and used most of the crate for the recipe. As the recipe says, make the strawberry swirl ahead of time so it gets time to cool.
The dough is very soft and moist and I did not manipulate much once I combined the biscuit dough. I used a spatula to fold in the cooked strawberries. You don’t want pink dough so only fold in two or three times.
Once the biscuits were almost cooked I brushed melted butter on them for a nice brown color.
Next time I make this recipe I’d only use a stick of butter and 3 cups of flour so they raise more.
Oh, I used a 1/3 cup to scoop my biscuits that yielded 8 not 12 biscuits and baked them on a AmazonBasics Silicone Baking Mat – 2 Pack
And I always sift my dry ingredients.
What to eat with
The recipe suggest you eat with a whipped crème fraiche but my friends and I smeared Irish butter on them. Also, fried chicken and biscuits – Hello!!
Conclusion
The softest biscuits I’ve ever made and eaten and there is nothing better than using seasonal ingredients. Thank you Food & Wine and Abigail Quinn.
I’ve included a link to all Food & Wine’s biscuit recipes incase you are inspired to make this one and more!
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