Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits

I'm almost, just almost, shaking my head at myself for posting this recipe. For starters, it's based off Bisquick baking mix - hardly something to write home about. And then there's the fact that these biscuits were popularized widely by the restaurant chain Red Lobster. It's not that I have anything against Red Lobster, per say, in fact as far as chains go it's pretty tasty and can be decently healthy. But if it came between a chain restaurant and eating at home, I'd choose the later.

But some things get wildly popular for a reason, like these Cheddar Biscuits, and I know I'm not the only person who finds them irresistible. The best part? The joy in J's voice when I told him I had found a recipe to make them at home. I'm telling you, I don't think I've ever met someone who loves bread more than he does, in every form and variation.

Keep in mind, like most homemade variations of 'secret restaurant recipes' these biscuits aren't exactly like the originals; however, if you find yourself at home craving the famous Red Lobster biscuits, these certainly will do the trick. They're light, buttery and speckled with cheddar cheese. Honestly, it's pretty hard to go wrong with a combination like that.

Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits
Adapted Slightly From ABC News Online 
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
*2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
*3/4 cup cold 2% milk
*4 tablespoons cold butter
*1/4 tsp. garlic powder
*1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

*2 tablespoons butter, melted
*1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
*1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
*pinch of salt

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 400°F.
*Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
*Press dough mixture into a disc and cut out with circle cookie cutter or the mouth of a drinking glass. Transfer discs to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
*Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
*When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

Do you ever just miss home? I'm not sure age really matters, because when I think about home it's not the place or the building, it's that feeling and stage in life when you knew that someone else was there to take care of you and have your back. Growing up with divorced parents, I traveled a lot between Iowa and Florida, so getting homesick was rare. Now, living on my own for the first time, I still don't get homesick, but I do miss home every now and again.  


And despite the distance and time that has passed since my years living at home, I am still able to get in the kitchen and capture my childhood with a few simple ingredients, a bowl, and a wooden spoon. (Okay, I used my food processor, too) Food is magical that way. It holds the power to inspire, to transport, to recreate moments and time passed. I think everyone has that special taste of childhood, and for me these buttermilk biscuits are it. 

Things really do come full-circle, because little did I know, my mom's famous biscuits originated from a Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook circa 1972; Better Homes and Gardens, where I work and write and eat today. So yesterday, when I was missing missing home, I pulled out my own Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook circa 1950 that I purchased from a flea market this fall and got to making my mom's buttermilk biscuits. And they turned out, just as I remembered - a piece of the familiar when so many things in life are changing around me.

Of course, I couldn't resist making a few small changes. Instead of using all-purpose flour, I used a combination of whole-wheat and all-purpose. And I took out the shortening, because I hardly ever cook with shortening, and used butter in its place. Oh, and I made them a little bigger than the recipe suggests. Back in 1950 this recipe made 12-18 biscuits. In my kitchen, circa 2010, it made 9. So here's to biscuits, and memories, and recreating home in your own kitchen, wherever that may be.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1950
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. butter, cut into pats
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg white from a large egg
Additional kosher salt, if desired

Instructions:
*Preheat oven to 450*F.
*Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor or a large bowl (if you are using a pastry blender). Add the butter to the flour mixture and process with a food processor or blend with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with small, uneven pieces of butter throughout.
*Stir in the buttermilk until wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll to a 3/8-inch thickness. Cut into biscuits and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush egg white on the tops of each biscuit and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden.
*Serve warm, if possible, with lots and lots of butter and jam. Reheat in the oven if necessary.

Happy Cooking!

Madison