Hints To Making Mile High Biscuits

 Hints To Making Mile High Biscuits

My Mom taught me how to make biscuits before I was 8 years old and I have been making them ever since.  She taught me how to  make all kinds of biscuits...Buttermilk Biscuits, Angel Biscuits, Cheddar, Bacon and Mile High Biscuits ,which are the ones I want to share with you today.  But first I want to tell you the secret to making the best biscuits....some hints that will turn out the best biscuits every single time.  

Hint number 1:  Always make sure ALL your ingredients are very cold. My Mom even kept her metal bowl and rolling pin in the freezer before she made her biscuits!   It is important that you use very cold  butter, eggs, and buttermilk if you want light and flaky biscuits. 

Hint number 2:  Use only fresh leavening agents. Make sure you check the dates on flour and baking powder.  If these are out of date your biscuits won't rise.

Hint number 3:  Always mix your dry ingredients first and make sure they are very well blended before you put in your wet ingredients.  You want to make sure you have no clumps of salt or baking powder.   

Hint number 4:  Use the coldest butter possible. I put mine in the freezer, cut it into 1/2 inch cubes and then put it back in the freezer for 3 more minutes before I use it.  The colder the butter the more flaky the biscuit. You want to keep your cubes at the 1/2 inch size.

Hint number 5:  Work fast!  Remember your hands will give off heat when you use them for mixing and kneading and you want to keep your ingredients cold.  The faster you work the better! 

Hint number 6:  Do Not Over Mix your dough. This is the main reason why biscuits are tough and dry.  You want to use your hands to mix the dough until it just comes together.

Hint number 7:   Always preheat your oven. You want your biscuits to go in a HOT oven or they will not rise as high.

Mile High Biscuits

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
• 1 egg, cold and slightly beaten
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• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicon mat. 
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• In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, either using a fork or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and egg and stir until just combined.
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• Place the biscuits on the baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
• Serve warm with lots of butter.



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• Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the dough just comes together, making sure not to over work the dough. If the dough is too sticky, gradually add a little flour. Roll out the dough to about 1-inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a round biscuit cutter.

Place the biscuits on the baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Serve warm with lots of butter, jam or jelly or honey.

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Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

Simple to make and always a favorite anytime of day! I love breakfast and this is my go to when I am in a hurry! 

Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

Biscuits

6 tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 - 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

melted butter, for brushing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in cold butter until small crumbs form. Do not overwork mixture, as it will melt the butter. 

Make a hole in the middle of the crumb mixture and pour in 1 cup of buttermilk. Stir together until mixture just comes together. Add more buttermilk if dough is too dry.

Pour dough onto a floured surface. Pat into a rectangle. Lightly fold dough onto itself 5 times and lightly press to 1 inch thickness. Cut biscuits and place on baking sheet. It is very important to not overwork the dough, otherwise it will become tough.

Brush biscuits with melted butter and bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sandwich

2 eggs 

2 tablespoons milk 

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 slices packaged precooked bacon, cut in half crosswise

In small bowl, mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add butter to a small frying pan and scramble eggs until fluffy and cooked through. Sprinkle on cheese and fold over eggs until cheese is melted and blended throughout. 

Microwave bacon as directed on package. Split warm biscuits horizontally; place on 4 individual serving plates. Cut eggs into 4 wedges. Place eggs and bacon on bottom halves of biscuits. Cover with top halves of biscuits.

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Apple Custard Tart

 

Looks fancy …like something you might order in a nice restaurant or coffee shop…but it’s simple to make. Tender crisp apple layered over a bed of cream cheese and vanilla custard. The crust is light, buttery and flaky and your friends will think you slaved all day to make it. Delicious!  

 

 

Apple Custard Tart

Crust

1-1/2 cups sugar- and cinnamon-coated graham crackers

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons melted butter

In a medium-size bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Mix together until the butter is incorporated with the crumbs and sugar. Add the graham cracker mixture to a scalloped tart pan with a removable bottom. Form the sides and bottom of the graham cracker crust. Let sit in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 hours.

Filling

 

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Caramel sauce or topping 

Beat together cream cheese, eggs, cream, vanilla and sugar until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the apples, sugar, and the almonds. Stir them with a fork until the sugar is distributed.  Pour the cream filling into the tart pan and spread evenly. 

 















 

 

 

Arrange the diced apples on top and drizzle a fair amount of caramel sauce on top. Brush the caramel sauce to coat the apples.  Bake until the apples are tender and lightly golden, about 30-35 minutes. Drizzle with more caramel sauce if desired.

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Vanilla Bread Pudding

 Vanilla Bread Pudding

I love bread pudding.  I guess you could say I’m a custard kind of girl. I love anything with custard and I usually have to make extra because I can’t stay out of it when I am making a recipe that calls for it.  There is something about bread pudding that makes you remember it every single time you have it.  This particular bread pudding is just like that.  It is so decadent that people will go on and on about it for weeks.

Vanilla Bread Pudding

1 (12-ounce) brioche loaf

3 extra-large whole eggs 

8 extra-large egg yolks 

4 cups half-and-half 

1 cup whole milk 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting 

vanilla ice cream, such as Haagen-Dazs, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Cut five 3/4-inch-thick slices of brioche and place them in one layer on a sheet pan. 

 

 

Trim some of the crusts from the remaining brioche and cut in 1-inch dice. Spread out on a second sheet pan. Put both pans in the oven for 5 minutes, to lightly toast the bread. 

 

Meanwhile, for the custard, whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, half-and-half, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl, and set aside. 

 

  

Lay the whole slices in a 10 x 12 x 2-inch rectangular baking dish. If you have to cut a couple to make them fit, that’s okay.  Spread the diced brioche on top. 

 

Pour on the custard and press lightly so all the bread is soaked with custard. Set aside for 10 minutes. 

 

Place the dish in a slightly larger roasting. Pour about 1 inch of the hottest tap water into the roasting pan, being sure not to get any water into the custard. 

Cover the entire roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, making sure the foil so it doesn't touch the top of the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. 

 

Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm, drizzled with melted ice cream. 

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Bee Sting Cake

When I was little I used to watch my Mom make a Bee Sting Cake. She would make a feather light cake dough and then fill it with vanilla cream custard and top it with almonds that had been cooked in brown sugar and honey. Oh My gosh it was good. But even then, I remember thinking it was too much work with all that kneading and punching and waiting. I found that old recipe this past weekend and it sounded as hard I as remember it looked. So I decided to make a few changes to make it easier and the results are what you see here. I call it the modern day Bee Sting Cake and I made a basic yellow cake, a creamy custard and topped it with a walnut topping instead. One of the best cakes I've ever made. This thing is as delicious as it looks and I can't get enough of it. It's going to the freezer today so I can stop eating it! 

Bee Sting Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large eggs

Topping                                                                          

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick, 3 ounces) butter
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) sugar
3 tablespoons (2 ounces) honey
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) heavy cream
2 `1/2 cups chopped walnuts
pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add the sugar, honey and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it for 3 to 5 minutes, until it’s taken on a very light gold color. Stir in the walnuts, let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8-inch cake pan. Then line with parchment paper and leave an overhang to lift cake later. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, milk and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. Add egg, beat for 3 more minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Spread topping over cake batter and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Lift cake with parchment paper and allow to cool thoroughly on wire rack.

Custard

4 Egg yolks
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup sugar

Heat up the milk, the sugar and salt.. Bring it to a simmer and let the sugar dissolve over medium heat. Whisk the cornstarch and egg yolks until creamy.

Slowly add in the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks to temper them. Do not add too much hot milk into the eggs at the same time, it can curdle the eggs. Bring the egg and milk mixture to a slow boil while stirring constantly. When thickened remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and make sure it touches the top of the custard and refrigerate it.

To assemble cake. Once cake is cooled, use a long serrated knife and cut cake in half horizontally to make two layers. Cover bottom layer with filling and place top of cake back on. Refrigerate before serving. 

TIP: Freeze the cake until you are going to serve it. If you slice it while it is frozen it won’t squish all the cream out. Then just let it sit for about half an hour before