Saturday, July 20

The Best Biscuits I Ever Made


My name is Joan and I'm a biscuit addict. 
I just love biscuits. Which is not to say I'm indiscriminate. Nay! I only eat bisquick biscuits in the backcountry when John Baker is making breakfast (or lunch or dinner) over a camp stove. But I eat biscuits most any chance I get when the biscuits are any good.
I make pretty good biscuits usually, but today I happened upon a great biscuit and it came in an act of desperation. 
I am just back from travelling and my pantry is pretty bare. No milk, no bread, no fruit but some sad citrus. So, what to make for breakfast?  I had a hankering for biscuits. I could have gone the canned milk route but I spied some yogurt in my fridge and decided to experiment.
I used my Mom's recipe, and substituted yogurt for milk in even exchange. I should say this yogurt was homemade from 2% milk so I was not going after all the fat I could get. And this was not the strained or thick Greek yogurt that I like to eat (which explains why it was still hanging around uneaten in my fridge). Because yogurt is acidic like buttermilk, it needs a little baking soda with the baking powder. From there I proceeded as usual. Well, almost. For some reason, it seemed logical to use butter in place of my usual shortening.
You can see the results - sorry you can't smell or taste them. The biscuits are flaky (thanks to the butter) and tender (thanks to minimal handling). The flavor is buttery rich and tangy (thanks to the yogurt). The crust is not crunchy, it's light and crisp instead (even on the bottom) and the crumb just about melted in my mouth. I don't know where that crust comes from but I know I ate five biscuits. I only buttered the first one so that indulgence is offset, right?  
I'm thrilled to have made these biscuits and I just hope I can replicate the experience next time.


By the way, these pictures (and the public market shot posted a couple days ago) came out of my Canon Elph replacement. They look pretty good, don't they? The short story is my original pocket camera stopped working in December. I fretted over the replacement for months and finally found the latest iteration of my Elph. It has a bigger monitor, wider exposure latitude, better stabilization and, wonder of wonders, it uses the same battery and charger! It also fits in the same case as my old Elph. I snapped it up and have been quite happy since I started using it.

Thursday, July 18

Seattle Moment

Public Market Neon, Seattle
I was in Seattle for a conference. I think it's been about 20 years since I last visited. Nice place - great for walking.
One fine evening, I approached a reception for people like me (except probably more social) and as I got closer and the sound got louder, I had misgivings.
Well, I met that sound barrier in the doorway and was knocked backward out to Pike Street. So, I walked to the market. I did not make this picture, but I did make others that are still in the camera. Hope they are as nice.
This one I found like a gift left in my path on Tuesday evening when a storm was brewing.