Biscuits are as dear to me as barbecue. My mother and grandmother made biscuits, and in the current family hierarchy, my sister Mary Pat is the new generation head biscuit maker. In the South, biscuits have been traditionally made with either lard or Crisco. We either use lard for a super tender biscuit or Crisco and butter for flavor and flakiness.  When making pimento cheese biscuits, I opt to make drop biscuits which means not rolling out the dough. 

Makes about 10 biscuits

2          cups flour
½         teaspoon cream of tartar
¼          teaspoon salt
3          teaspoons baking powder
½         cup, plus 2 tablespoons chilled Lard or half Crisco shortening and half butter 

½         cup, plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
½         stick butter (1/4 cup) melted

Preheat oven to 450ºF for plain biscuits and 425ºF for Pimento Cheese Biscuits

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking powder. Using a Blending Fork, pastry blender or two knives, cut the shortening into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and using a fork, stir until moistened and the dough comes together in a bowl.

For rolled biscuits: Turn dough out on a floured surface. Knead dough together until it is smooth (about 6 strokes). Roll dough in a circle until it is a little less than ½ - inch thick. Brush liberally with the melted butter and fold over to cover butter. Pinch the edges to seal and roll out to make even. (Biscuits will open into two halves where butter was brushed and dough folded.)

Cut the dough with a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter (2 ½ -3 inches in diameter) as close together as possible to avoid wasting the dough. The scraps can be treats for the cook or yummy dog biscuits for your pet.

Place biscuits on an un-greased cookie sheet, 1-inch apart. Brush tops with melted butter and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Pimento Cheese Drop Biscuit Variation:

Add 3/4 cup of homemade Pimento Cheese to biscuit recipe above.  If you want it to be cheesier, you can increase it to 1 cup of Pimento Cheese but start with ¾ cup and see how the dough looks.  The dough should be a little wet and sticky but easy to scoop with a spoon and drop on an ungreased cookie sheet or a piece of parchment.  If it is too dry, add a bit more buttermilk.  I always use parchment because it makes the clean-up easier. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until brown on the bottom and the top of the biscuit.

Homemade Pimento Cheese

Pimento Cheese is one of my favorite foods.  My mother made pimento cheese stuffed in celery and grilled pimento cheese sandwiches for my sisters and I when we were kids.  It was on the same level as peanut butter in our household, and that was a high honor, indeed!

When I moved away from the South, I craved the simple and satisfying pleasure of homemade pimento cheese and started making it for parties and picnics.  I've made it with jalapeños, with bacon, adding shallot and garlic but I always go back to my mother's simple recipe which is little more than sharp cheddar cheese, real Dromedary pimentos—must be Dromedary—and best-quality mayo, but not too much mayo, just enough to hold it together. And, that is the secret to great pimento cheese! It's a story of a common foodstuff becoming special and exotic because I was living in an area of the country where folks hadn't grown up with it.  And, I think everyone should grow up with access to homemade (underline "homemade") Pimento Cheese because the "real deal" defines good eating!

Makes about 3 cups

16        ounces sharp cheddar cheese*, grated by hand

½         cup mayonnaise, plus more if needed—I like Hellmann’s original

1          4-ounce jar (¼ cup) diced pimentos, plus all the liquid

Freshly ground black pepper

*I like to use a combination of half white cheddar and yellow cheddar cheese         

In a medium bowl, mix the cheese and mayonnaise together with a fork until it holds together. Add the pimentos and their liquid, mix to distribute. If it is too dry, add a little more mayonnaise. Season with black pepper.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. I store my Pimento Cheese in mason jars.  Make biscuits, serve with celery sticks, crackers or in a sandwich. 

ALL RECIPES ©ELIZABETH KARMEL 2020