There’s some differences between British and American words for foods. It’s easy to get used to the changes and say “rocket” instead of “arugula” or “courgette” vs “zucchini,” but the one I have a hard time with is biscuit. I just like cookie better. And recently my friend Sarah asked me to explain what “biscuit” means to me. So here’s what it means to me: it looks like a scone, but savory, buttery, and flakey; and it serves the same purpose as a Yorkshire pudding during Sunday lunch.  [If you’re not familiar with Yorkshire pudding, it’s a bready-like (well, made from a batter) side that you use to sop up gravy, meat, and sides.]

But I do miss American biscuits. I’ve only been to KFC once since I moved here and I was pretty disappointed. First, the three piece chicken came in a bag. Not a little closed box, but a bag. Second, and most importantly, it didn’t come with a biscuit. Who doesn’t love a cheap, buttery, albeit slightly greasy, biscuit?! It’s the best. Anyway, I may have gone on a bit of rant at work, about biscuits.

Obviously after this conversation with Sarah, I was in the mood for biscuits. Luckily that same day Food 52 posted a picture of these cheddar garlic biscuits on their Instagram, and I knew I had to make them. Because biscuits are great, and then add cheese and it’s even better. I was most pleased by the gorgeous well defined layers in these biscuits. Look at the picture at the top, there are layers!

For me, the epitome of layers are the Pillsbury Grands Biscuits. I know you probably shouldn’t compare something homemade to something store bought, but those Pillsbury biscuits are so satisfying. They are so “buttery,” the layers peel away so easily, and opening the canister gives such a satisfying pop. What I’m trying to say in this roundabout way, is that these biscuits have really satisfying buttery (and slightly cheesy) layers the flake away. I loved it.

Before getting starting, I have a few tips for this recipe. First, don’t overwork the batter. If you play with it too much you’ll melt the butter and overwork the gluten and make them dense and not very light. Second, you can use milk, buttermilk, or crème fraîche. I used crème fraîche fresh because I couldn’t find buttermilk, and I wanted more flavor and richness. Use whatever you like best and can get your hands on. And finally, eat them on the day you make them. Then, if you can’t eat them all, let them cool completely. I found if you put them away while they are warm they sink a little and lose some of the airiness. If you do have day-old biscuits heat them in the microwave for 20 seconds to refresh and moisten them. Serve with butter for even better buttery-ness.

Adapted, just slightly, from Food 52.

Messy level: The batter is made in one bowl, which is great for dishes and an overall lack of mess. However, you are going to have to get your hands in there (AKA get your hands dirty!) to incorporate all the dry bits of the batter and to form and shape the biscuits.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2¾ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup/226g cold butter, plus a little melted for brushing
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk, or buttermilk, or crème fraîche

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into cubes. Put the butter in a bowl and put in the fridge until you need it. (It is important that your butter is cold!)
2. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder, and baking powder.
5. Cut in the cold butter using a two knives or a pastry cutter. [Note: cutting the butter means using a utensil to break the butter up into the flour into pea sized pieces]
6. Add the in the cheddar cheese.
7. Pour in the milk and use a fork to stir it all together. Stir until it is a shaggy dough.
8. Once it is mostly mixed, use your hands to fold in any remaining dry bits. Fold over on itself until all incorporated. Try to use your hands as little as possible because their heat will melt the butter.
9. Lightly flour your counter. Turn the dough out pat it into a 1 inch-thick disc. Using a 2½" circular cutter cut out circles.
10. Place the circles onto the lined baking sheets.
11. Brush the tops of the circles with melted butter.
12. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges and cheesy bits get golden.

3.3.3070

The post Cheddar Garlic Biscuits appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Hope you all have had a lovely Christmas! Ryan and I spent it in Colorado at Aaron and Katy’s house (Ryan’s brother and his wife). It was nice to see them and Ryan’s mom and sister since we hadn’t seen them since right before we moved to London. But, the best part I think for most of us, was getting to meet and play with Boden. He is so cute! He is smiley, good-natured, and wiggly. It was fun to see him do everything – roll over, squirm around, and even grab my hair. I did take a picture of other people besides Boden, but we’re all in our pajamas and I think there was general consensus that we didn’t want that photo public. 

We were lucky enough to have a white Christmas! It started snowing about halfway through the day and we got maybe 3-4 inches. It was really beautiful and at night Ryan, Tia (his sister) and I went for a walk to look at the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. Colorado was also cool because we got to see a very different landscape compared to what we’re used to. Colorado has wide open plains and then beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains. It was a real treat.

Since it doesn’t get that cold in London and Ryan and I are non-nature-loving city slickers were weren’t totally prepared for the snow. Ryan had cloth sneakers and dress shoes. I had sneakers and leather boots without tread on the bottom. So, needless to say, we had to borrow boots from Aaron and Katy. I’m glad we did because the day after Christmas we took their dog Tarka on a 3 mile walk to the dog park. It was lovely to see all the snow and to be outside, but it was cold and our regular shoes could not have handled it. The dog park itself was pretty nice, and the picture at the top of this post is the view from the dog park.

In addition to getting to enjoy the outdoors, Aaron and Katy also took  us to enjoy some local restaurants and sites. On Saturday we had brunch with Katy’s parents at the Mercantile in Union Station. The food itself was really good but the service was so weird. You order at a counter in the front of the restaurant, then you sit down and wait for a text. When they text you, you walk 5 feet over to the kitchen window and pick up your food. They come around a little to check on you and see how you’re doing, but they don’t bring refills of drinks or anything. It was odd, but nice. I wish I had taken pictures of Union Station. It’s a train station and it’s been gorgeously redone on the inside. It has a hotel, restaurants, and it has a modern and old look that works for it.

After brunch we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It was packed with families taking their kids of after Christmas. It’s a really good museum for kids because there are so many animals and skeletons and I thought most of the label texts were written with young audiences in mind. My favorite part of the exhibit was the section on wales. I learned that whales sound out their sound, then it bounces back, and vibrates into a fat deposit in their forehead. How cool is that? Throughout the museum there were a lot of diorama’s of animals in their “natural habitats.” It’s an old style of exhibitions, but I think it works. What was sort of funny was that every diorama had lots of animal poop – as if that will make me think it’s really authentic. Also, they had a snake on the floor (that was scary looking) and weighed 100 pounds. The sign next to it said it was modeled after a real snake and that with your friends you should see if you can pick it up. Ryan did all by himself, but it looked difficult.

Aaron and Katy also made sure to feed us lots of the American foods we’ve been missing. They took us to Highland Tap and Burger because Ryan had been craving a burger. Prior to this experience I had felt like burgers in London were perfectly good and that I wasn’t missing an American burger. And then I had one bite and everything changed. It was cooked medium-well, it was topped with a fried egg, and it was so juicy.I took a bite and sauce and juices oozed all down my hands. I fell in love. That bite was like snuggling with your favorite blanket. It was like the perfect first kiss. It was like putting on your favorite sweater. That one bite was so satisfying. I downed the rest so fast there wasn’t time to take a picture. I sort of wish I hadn’t had the burger because now I know what I’m missing.

They also took us to the Post to have fried chicken, waffles, and biscuits. My British colleagues keep telling me a biscuit is just like a scone, but it really isn’t. I don’t know how to explain it, but biscuits are more buttery and savory than scones. Even though Post is sort of a nice restaurant, the chicken came out in a bucket – which gave us that real American feel. We went home stuffed. My pictures of all this might not look so amazing, but it was. It was amazing I think for anyone, but all this food was even better after months of being away from it. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.

Sunday we had a low-key day. Katy and I spent most of the morning having some girl time. We went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for nachos (something else on our American food bucket list, and I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow). We took Tarka to the dog park, and then we went and got a pedicure. It was meant a lot to me to spend some quality time together and just hang out and chat. In the afternoon we all finished a puzzle then went to Ryan’s uncle’s house to watch the Broncos game.

Before we left, we got one more taste of American foods. For breakfast before our flight to Connecticut we had bagels with pumpkin spice cream cheese and coffee with pumpkin spice creamer. Oh America, you are wonderful.

The post Tourist Tuesday: Erie, Colorado appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Ryan and I are also really excited to be back in the US for an extended period of time. We’ve been making a list (and checking it twice) of all the American foods we want to eat – and most of them are pretty unhealthy. We want a cheeseburger, a bagel with cream cheese, a Philly cheese steak, a thick turkey club sandwich, and a chicken biscuit fast food breakfast sandwich. And as I’ve already mentioned, I can’t wait for refillable ice water.

Food is a big part of the holidays – although not usually including foods from our wish list. Still, cooking and sharing meals together is an important part of the holidays. I hope by this point you’ve got your Christmas dinner sorted, but maybe you still need some cookie recipes. Everyone bakes during the holidays therefore why not whip up an old favorite or try out a crazy new cookie? So, my gift to you is a Christmas Eve Cookie Round Up! Here’s a round up of 10 cookie recipes previously posted on Cooking is Messy. I hope you find something new, fun, and delicious! Happy baking and happy holidays!

1. Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – So easy, only needs a few ingredients, and perfect for a gluten-free guest.
2. Brown Sugar Spice Cookies – A slightly different, but wonderful, take on classic sugar cookies. Perfect for using with your favorite cookie cutters.
3. Popcorn Cookies – Totally unusual cookies that are delightful tasting; adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe.
4. Sugar Cookies – The classic Christmas cookie, perfect for rolling out and turning into your favorite Christmas shapes.
5. Jam Thumbprint Cookies – If there was a cookie to have with breakfast, this is it. It’s light, buttery, and fruity.
6. Confetti Cookies – A bit of a challenging recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi. The effort is worth it, the cookies are beautiful and have a nice snicker doodle quality.
7. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Chocolate Chip – These cookies are hearty and have some really nice holiday flavors.
8. Gluten Free Chocolate Chip and Reese’s Pieces Cookies – Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies and this recipe will satisfy all your guests.
9. Bullseye Cookies – A mix of two classic Christmas cookies: gingerbread and sugar cookies. Together, they make lovely looking bullseye cookies.
10. Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies – Grapefruit might seem out of place during the holidays, but substitute in oranges and you’ve got a light citrus holiday cookie.

The post Christmas Eve Cookie Round Up appeared first on Cooking is Messy.