tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post8759723914836081402..comments2024-03-19T20:31:23.141-05:00Comments on The Chuck Cowdery Blog: Dad's Biscuit StoryChuck Cowderyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12191121480961526039noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-48367189026507702762015-01-05T21:45:13.537-06:002015-01-05T21:45:13.537-06:00There was a great biscuit story I heard in an inte...There was a great biscuit story I heard in an interview with then former Maine governor Angus King. Probably apocryphal, but I still appreciate it. He wasn't from the state, but his son was just born here. So Angus ran out into the street saying, "My son's a Mainer, my son's a Mainer!" But some old duffer was there and replied, "Just cause a cat has kittens in the oven doesn't mak'em biscuits."theBitterFignoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-78681715769787835552015-01-04T03:32:12.718-06:002015-01-04T03:32:12.718-06:00Great story. (I might suggest a pastry blender or...Great story. (I might suggest a pastry blender or even a few pulses in a food processor vs. the knives, but whatever works best for you.)<br /><br />PS: Mortality is a bitch.Jason Q.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-52059270789595665932014-12-30T22:15:44.999-06:002014-12-30T22:15:44.999-06:00Oh, I thought this was a spoof of NDP tall tales a...Oh, I thought this was a spoof of NDP tall tales about family recipes, moonshiners and "heritage".My Annoying Opinionshttp://www.myannoyingopinions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-20150891256909970552014-12-29T21:09:32.133-06:002014-12-29T21:09:32.133-06:00Thanks for sharing the story Chuck. It may not be ...Thanks for sharing the story Chuck. It may not be about the recipe for you but I'll say thanks again for sharing it. My late Grandmother used to make potato candy during the holidays. She showed me how to make it when I was about ten. Given it was not something made often and the nature of boys the how was forgotten for about the 30 years she has been gone. Thanks to the wonder of the internet I found the recipe some other kind soul posted. What little is left of my family was able to enjoy it and the memory of my Grandmother again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-75955258857077999352014-12-29T07:48:10.824-06:002014-12-29T07:48:10.824-06:00Something else to keep in mind for the people look...Something else to keep in mind for the people looking for lard: the lard you're likely referring to in the grocery store (e.g., "Snowcap") isn't necessarily what was available in the 50s and 60s. The modern stuff is hydrogenated, which not only makes it less healthy but also changes the consistency--you might as well use Crisco since the lard has lost its qualities that make lard different. I would recommend looking for real lard, or rendering your own, like h4rr4r has done.Alexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-11147733157167503582014-12-29T00:46:03.952-06:002014-12-29T00:46:03.952-06:00I fear I've created a monster. I'm not hol...I fear I've created a monster. I'm not holding out on you. There is little else to tell. It's flour and baking powder, normal ratio. Same with the lard. Roll the lard into pea-size balls, add to the flour, then use butter knives held between your fingers like Wolverine's claws to cut the lard into the flour until the consistency is uniform. Add enough milk to form a dough. Roll onto a floured board and cut with a water glass. Bake until brown. See, nothing special, but you insisted.<br /><br />P.S., the story isn't really about the biscuits. Chuck Cowderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12191121480961526039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-38033198049450285672014-12-28T21:47:32.064-06:002014-12-28T21:47:32.064-06:00Chuck, due to a difficult upbringing, I go by the ...Chuck, due to a difficult upbringing, I go by the saying "Friends are the family you choose." <br /><br />I hope you'll share your recipe with trusted friends. And I'm sure there are a lot of friendly people reading your blog, too. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-6853587897783508252014-12-28T20:22:39.219-06:002014-12-28T20:22:39.219-06:00Chuck, You can't leave us hanging like this! I...Chuck, You can't leave us hanging like this! I live in upstate New York, and we have lard in the supermarkets here. It's in the odd-ball meat section where I also buy my salt pork.<br /><br />Please give us your recipe. We need to pass these things on, even if it's not to our own kids...Christophernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-33074454285237129102014-12-28T18:38:01.240-06:002014-12-28T18:38:01.240-06:00Please do share that recipe and technique. Lard is...Please do share that recipe and technique. Lard is not hard to come by and I have even rendered it myself. h4rr4rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10003977724256067713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-87746707466310913642014-12-28T18:01:50.933-06:002014-12-28T18:01:50.933-06:00We refer to them "bumpy" biscuits. I wan...We refer to them "bumpy" biscuits. I want bumpy biscuits, I'll on occasion hear.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-88240127459558751322014-12-28T17:29:17.034-06:002014-12-28T17:29:17.034-06:00It wasn't about a recipe so much as it was abo...It wasn't about a recipe so much as it was about the technique of cutting the lard into the dry ingredients. And it was a very long time ago.Chuck Cowderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12191121480961526039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-1210446616079642442014-12-28T15:58:42.283-06:002014-12-28T15:58:42.283-06:00So, we now have anon's cream/buttermilk biscui...So, we now have anon's cream/buttermilk biscuit recipe. How about sharing yours with us? My wife makes hers with sourdough, but I'd kind of like to try out a "good" recipe without asking her. TIA.Harrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-35683015797650242232014-12-28T14:47:17.237-06:002014-12-28T14:47:17.237-06:00There's lard in the grocery store around here ...There's lard in the grocery store around here too (northern Virginia). Never used it for biscuits but I've used it for pie crust.Kevin Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-31449492626315609742014-12-28T10:22:58.078-06:002014-12-28T10:22:58.078-06:00Chuck, perhaps you are resigned to the end of the ...Chuck, perhaps you are resigned to the end of the tradition, but your post left me sad. I would urge you to pick children of a good friend, neighbor or coattail relative to pass this skill on. This is not some cancer cure, but yet It is a ritual that helps bind a family. It would be a shame for it to be lost.Old Dustynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-45342625927160861912014-12-27T22:29:40.482-06:002014-12-27T22:29:40.482-06:00I'm a cream biscuit convert.
While I do love ...I'm a cream biscuit convert.<br /><br />While I do love lard and butter(milk) biscuits the convenience and forgiveness of these are hard to beat.<br /><br />Preheat over to 450F<br /><br />2 C flour (260g)<br />1 1/2 C cream<br />1 t salt<br />2 t baking powder<br />2 T sugar<br /><br />Mix everything up, knead dough briefly, and cut into biscuits.<br /><br />The weird thing is that kneading it a little more than you would with traditional biscuits doesn't seem to make them any chewier.<br /><br />My 7yo and 9yo can almost make these by themselves.<br /><br />These also don't make half bad cinnamon rolls.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-13225733345042836372014-12-27T21:03:50.695-06:002014-12-27T21:03:50.695-06:00Most Chicago area grocers have lard. But, unsalted...Most Chicago area grocers have lard. But, unsalted butter is a necessary ingredient, not lard, in our house. Not daily but at least weekly bisquits our house.colbyjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10289956760325647768noreply@blogger.com