Saturday, January 30, 2010

Christina's Cream Biscuits

from Smitten Kitchen

I don't usually make comments since this blog is just for my own personal use, but to any friends and family members who might read this, you need to go make these biscuits. They are super easy, only have a few ingredients (I made them without the sugar) and are the best biscuits that I have ever made. I'm throwing away all my other recipes. No joke. Also, I think they would work well with whole-wheat flour, although you'd obviously need to adjust the amount to make up for the difference in absorption.

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Melt butter in a small pot or microwave dish, and set aside. Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/2 cups cream.

Turn dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Cut into rounds 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Brush the top of each round generously with butter. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Die of happiness.

Christina's Cranberry Muffins

adapted from Ann Poulson

3/4 c halved cranberries
1/2 c powdered sugar
Mix berries and sugar and let stand.

Sift together:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c whole-wheat flower
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c sugar

Mix and add to dry ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted

Mix until dampened, do not beat.
Fold in berries.
Put in greased muffin cups.
Bake 20 minutes at 350.
Makes one dozen.

Christina's Curry Soup with Cauliflower

adapted from Angry Chicken

1-2 yellow diced onions
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes cubed
1 head cauliflower chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper
lemon juice for 1 lemon
2 cups chicken broth
coconut milk

In a bit of olive oil, saute the onions about 5-7 minutes. Add the spices and the potatoes and saute another 5 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower. Then add the broth and a bit of water--you need to cover everything. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover. If you are in a hurry this will take about 40 minutes to cook, otherwise I let it simmer all day. Puree with the stick blender and then add the lemon juice and enough milk to change the color and make it creamy. Taste and add more salt/pepper/cayenne as needed.