Scott Peacocks Buttermilk Biscuits Recipes

SCOTT PEACOCK'S CLASSIC BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Sift together the cream of tartar and baking soda to make baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the lard or butter. Working quickly, rub it between your fingertips until half is coarsely blended and the remaining pieces are 3/4-inch thick.
• Make a well in center of the flour. Add all the buttermilk and stir the mixture quickly, just until it has blended and a sticky dough forms. (If the dough appears dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk.)
• Immediately turn the dough onto a generously floured surface. Using floured hands, briskly knead about 10 times until a ball forms. Gently flatten the dough and, using a floured rolling pin, roll to 3/4-inch thick.
• Using a fork dipped in flour, pierce the dough through at 1/2-inch intervals. Flour a 2 1/2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter. Stamp out rounds and arrange on a heavy, parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Remove and brush with melted butter. Serve hot.

SCOTT PEACOCK'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in upper third. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add lard and coat well with flour mixture. Working quickly, rub the lard between your fingertips until roughly half is coarsely blended and half remains in large flat pieces, about 3/4 inch in size.
• Make a well in the center of the flour-lard mixture, and add buttermilk all at once. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon, just until mixture is blended and begins to come together into a sticky dough. (The dough will not form a ball at this stage and will, in fact, look unpromising.)
• Immediately turn out dough onto a generously floured surface. With well-floured hands, knead briskly 8 to 10 times, just until a cohesive ball of dough forms. With your palms, gently flatten dough to an even thickness; then roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness, working from center of dough outward with a floured rolling pin. (Flour rolling pin as needed, but avoid flouring top of dough unless you want dusty biscuits.)
• Dip a dinner fork in flour, and pierce dough completely through at 1/2-inch intervals. Flour a 3-inch biscuit cutter, and stamp out rounds as close together as possible, taking care not to twist cutter. Place rounds 1/2 inch apart on a parchment-lined heavy baking sheet. Place dough pieces that remain after cutting on baking sheet, too. Bake biscuits until crusty and rich golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove biscuits from oven and brush with melted butter. Serve hot.

CLASSIC BUTTERMILK BISCUITS (NYTIMES)

Steps:

• Set rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 500°F.
• Sift together in bowl cream of tartar and baking soda to make baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter. Working quickly, rub it between your fingertips until half is coarsely blended and remaining pieces are 3/4" thick.
• Make a well in the center of the flour. Add all the buttermilk and stir mixture QUICKLY, just until it has blended and a sticky dough forms. (Add 1-2 tbsp.more buttermilk if dough appears too dry.).
• Immediately turn the dough onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, briskly knead about 10 times until a ball forms. Gently flatten the dough, and using a flouring rolling pin, roll to 3/4" thick. Prick dough with flour dipped fork at 1/2 " intervals.
• Flour a 2-3" biscuit cutter and stamp out rounds. Arrange on a heavy, parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake only until golden--10-12 minutes.
• Remove and brush with the melted butter. Serve hot.
• NOTE: Great for breaksfast right out of the oven with butter and honey. We eat biscuit leftovers reheated and cracked in half with a creamed vegetable/chicken mixture. (Tastes like mini potpies).

CRUSTY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. Using your fingers, quickly work in butter, rubbing between your fingers to flatten as you go. (Roughly half of butter should have the consistency of very coarse meal; the rest should be in largish flattened pieces.) Make a well in mixture; pour in buttermilk. Stir quickly just until dough is well moistened and just beginning to form a mass. (It will be very wet and sticky.)
• Turn out dough onto a generously floured board or biscuit marble; sprinkle just enough flour over it to make it easy to handle. Knead quickly, without applying too much pressure as you fold. (The goal is to develop structure quickly without deflating.) Once it forms a cohesive dough, move to side of board; scrape up kneading flour.
• Sprinkle a fresh, light dusting of flour on board. (Do not flour top of biscuit dough.) Flouring only hands and rolling pin as needed, roll out dough approximately 1/2 inch thick. With a floured fork, pierce all the way through at 1/2-inch intervals. Using a 1 3/4-inch round cutter, stamp out biscuits (without rotating cutter); place them on parchment-lined baking sheets, almost touching. Gather and reroll scraps; punch out and place more rounds. Bake until biscuits are puffed slightly and brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

SCOTT PEACOCK'S CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Before you start: The secret to this desert is to have your ingredients measured and ready. It makes the process move along quickly. Prepare your favorite baked pastry shell. Cool on wire rack. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Make custard: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 2-1/2 cup of the milk almost to simmering (watch closely so milk doesn't boil). Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, with a 12-inch or larger balloon whisk, stir remaining 1/2 cup milk into the 3 egg yolks. In a second bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, the flour, cocoa powder and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; whisk in egg egg yolk mixture until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot milk; return the mixture to saucepan.
• Bring to boiling: Over medium-high heat, cook and stir mixture until it comes to a full boil. You want large bubbles from the middle, and while you're whisking, be sure to get the whisk into the corners and weep the bottom so you won't have to worry about scorching -- which would require starting over! Boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat.
• Fill pie shell: Whisk in chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Strain mixture through a sieve, pushing it through with a spatula as needed. There is a good chance there will be tiny pieces of cooked egg in your custard. Straining them out is a small, easy step that makes a big difference.
• Prepare egg whites: Wash both bowl and whisk. Dry them with a clean towel. Any grease is going to give you trouble in a big way. Set whites - in bowl - over a bowl of hot (110 degrees F) water. You'll get more volume. Five minutes should do it. Keeping your elbow firmly against your side, whisk rapidly until white begin to mound. Move only your wrist. Whisk in superfine sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, sprinkling the sugar over the whole bowl. Continue to whisk until whites are moist, glossy and do not slide when bowl is inverted. Plan on 7 or 8 minutes the first few time you try this. Tips of the whites should curl over slightly when whisk is lifted from the bowl.
• Cover the pie with the meringue: Turn meringue out all at once on top of hot pie filling. With spatula, spread meringue from center to edges, making sure meringue seals to crust all the way around. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until top is golden. Ovens vary, and if you overbake, the meringue can weep.
• Cool on wire rack for one hour. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving. Store leftovers (as IF!) in the refrigerator.
• Note: If you don't want to whip the egg whites by hand, you can use an electric mixer on medium-high speed. :-).