Biscuit recipe for Cas

From the 30Sec WineAdvisor FoodLetter:

INGREDIENTS:
(Makes eight to 10 biscuits)
2 cups (480g) all-purpose soft wheat flour
3 teaspoons (15g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teastpoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk or 2% milk

PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 450F (230C).

2. Measure the flour into a bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, taking care to measure the amounts precisely. Stir to combine.

3. Cut the butter and shortening into pea-size pieces and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Then, using your fingers, gently work the shortening into the flour mixture - much like making pie crust - until the combined result resembles a pile of soft grains of rice.

4. Then add the milk, a little at a time. Use only as much milk as needed to bring the flour and shortening together in a soft dough. Stir gently, using a large rubber spatula, to combine the wet and dry ingredients; take care not to over-work the dough.

5. As soon as the dough has reached such a consistency that you can form it, use the spatula to scrape it into a ball-like round and turn it onto a floured dish towel on your work surface. Pat it out to about 1/2 inch thickness, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter (or a thoroughly cleaned soup can with both ends cut out). If you're feeling lazy, simply cut the dough into squares; the result will taste just as good. After you've cut as many rounds as you can, gently form the leftover scraps of dough into a roughly circular "cook's biscuit."

6. Place the biscuits close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned.

Serve them as you like them, topped with butter or honey or molasses, a round of sausage or a few slices of bacon, a fried egg or even, if you must, milk gravy. If you're looking for a wine match this week, you're on your own!

Meatloaf / Eggplant Bake

I found the best meatloaf recipe. I love meatloaf, but I often forget about it. It's just not a high profile dish and I think it may have some negative connotations associated with it. However, this recipe is pretty healthy (if you use extra lean meat) and very flavorful. You have to bake it for awhile, but the prep time isn't that long and the ingredients are common (i.e. you don't have to buy a lot of exotic extras). Note: I realized too late I didn't have any dried parsley, so I substituted 1 tbsp of McCormick's Italian Seasoning for the parsley and basil and it turned out great.

My side dish was a tomato-eggplant bake. I substituted shredded mozzarella cheese for the slices and shredded parmesan for the grated parmesan, but otherwise I followed the recipe. Very good! Very easy!

Pistachio Ring

I got a weird impulse to try and make bread this weekend. So I started flipping through my latest Taste of Home magazine and found this recipe for pistachio bread. It was a lot easier than I thought it'd be (though in the process, due to sheer clumsiness I burnt three fingers, tore a fingernail, and made a complete mess of our kitchen - just thought I should provide a warning). It's time intensive, mostly because you have to do a lot of waiting for it to rise. That worked out perfectly for me though, as I was able to clean up my mess, do my laundry and watch part of the Super Bowl at the same time. I brought most of it into work today and received many compliments. It's not too sweet, not too bready, generally a great and easy (and somewhat impressive looking) breakfast treat.

PISTACHIO RING

TIME: Prep: 30 min. + rising

Bake: 25 min. + cooling

Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the milk, butter, salt, 2 cups flour and remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. On a floured surface, roll into a 16-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with pistachios and sugar. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring.

With a scissors, cut from outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 3/4-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show, slightly overlapping with the previous piece. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Brush with egg. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 1 ring (18 slices).