Comfort food means something different to each person.  If you live in Italy it may mean you enjoy a pasta dotted with pesto sauce, or bruschetta.

For our Executive Chef Alexis, it means ham croquettas .empanadas, or un cafe con leche.

For some who live in the south it might mean corn bread, collard greens, or pimento cheese and crackers.  Regardless of what it is that comforts us as it relates to food, it is safe to say that most people enjoy biscuits.  Some drizzle honey on them or smear a jam or jelly;

Some even cut the biscuit and fill them with enticing meats such as sausage, or ham.  Though there are a few tricks to making good biscuits and if you practice and follow these suggestions, you will be on your way to making great biscuits at home.

Ingredients:

4 cups of flour plus 2 tablespoons (sifted)

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

2/3 cup  plus one tablespoon  shortening or you can use COLD unsalted butter

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon of vinegar

How to Make:

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees F (220 degrees C)

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and the sugar.

Add the shortening combining ingredients with a spoon until it resembles coarse corn meal.  Add  the milk until combined. (The mixture will not be completely combined.  This is how you want it.) Don’t be tempted to mix it anymore. Trust us.

Place dough onto a floured surface  and knead 2 times enough to just combine it.  Roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a  2-3 inch biscuit cutter.  Place the biscuits onto an un-greased sheet pan.

Bake the biscuits  for 14 to 16 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

Some tips from our Chefs:

– Don’t over mix the dough!    When the milk is added, just combine so that the mixture looks like crumbly corn meal.  You don’t need to add all of the milk because on high humidity days you will need less or more depending on your environment. You will have to learn this by testing and trying out the recipe.

– Make sure the shortening or butter is really cold.  If it is not cold it will not rise correctly.

–  You can brush the biscuits with melted butter before or after baking if you desire.