Cookbook Challenge # 8 - Good Eats 4: The Final Years
We own all of Alton Brown’s Good Eats cookbooks and several others he authored—it just happened that Good Eats 4: The Final Years (2022) came up first in my random draw. When I saw it included a recipe for buttermilk biscuits, I knew I had to try it. I’ve tried to make homemade biscuits multiple times, all of which were failures that I deemed a dishonor to my Southern heritage. And since I was already set up for breakfast for dinner, I picked scrambled eggs for my second recipe.
Both turned out well. The biscuits weren’t perfect—I think despite my best efforts not to I still overmixed the dough a bit—but they’re definitely the best I’ve ever made. For the eggs, I’m not sure I’ll use the harissa paste again, but I do like the technique of heating the pan in the stove first, since it took all of 30 seconds or so to cook and plate the eggs.
Buttermilk Biscuits: Reloaded
Software
340 g (2 cups + 6 T) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
20 g (4 1/2 tsp) baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
60 g (1/4 c) leaf lard, chilled
30 g (2 T) unsalted butter, sliced into 1/8-inch thick pats and chilled
1 c low-fat buttermilk, chilled
Tactical Hardware (i.e. tools you might not have on your shelf already)
A biscuit cutter in the 2 1/2-inch range
Heat the oven to 450 F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Working quickly (so the fats don’t melt) use your fingertips to rub the lard and butter into the dry mixture until it resembles small, coarse chunks—not quite crumbs. (I cheated and used a pastry cutter, since one came with the biscuit cutter set I bought and I remembered that’s how my mom used to do it.)
Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Stir until the dough just begins to come together. It will be very sticky. While it’s still in the bowl, fold the dough over itself two times so that it takes up any remaining flour, then turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Dust the top of the dough with flour and, with floured hands, gently fold the dough over itself eight more times, turning one quarter turn before each folding motion. Press the dough into a 1-inch thick round, then cut out biscuits with a floured 2 1/2 inch cutter, being sure to press straight down without twisting until the cutter reaches the board. You’ll need to flour the cutter between cuts.
Center the biscuits on a baking sheet, shoulder to shoulder, so that they just touch. Re-form the scrap dough, working it as little as possible, and continue cutting until the dough is used up. You should have about 8 biscuits.
Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees in the oven and continue baking until the biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 8-12 more minutes depending on your oven and the temperature of the dough.
Remove to a clean kitchen towel set in a bowl and fold the towel over to preserve warmth and steam the biscuits. Serve with butter and jam, or mustard and thin-cut ham, or sausage patties…or just eat them.
A Scary Good Scramble: Reloaded
Software
1 tsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for 10 minutes
2 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp water
1 tsp harissa, optional but highly recommended
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 large eggs
freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Tactical hardware
A 10-inch carbon-steel skillet
A rubber or silicone spatula
Park the skillet in the middle of the oven and crank the heat to 350 F. When the oven says it has arrived at that thermal destination, let it heat for another 30 minutes.
While the oven and the pan heat, measure the butter out and let sit at room temperature. The butter should be soft but not melted.
When the oven and pan are good and hot, whisk the mayonnaise, water, harissa, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until light and smooth.
Remove the pan from the oven and place over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and swirl to coat. Pour in the egg mixture and count to 10. Stir twice with a rubber spatula and count to 10 again. Stir two more times and count to 5. Stir 3 final times, making sure any liquid egg makes contact with the pan, and count to 5. Transfer immediately to a plate or platter and serve.
