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Biscuits & Bluegrass, The Two Southern Traditions Meet
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Sept. 2005--Biscuits and bluegrass- when the two meet, there is nothing less than a Southern celebration. And that's just what the Loveless Cafe and Martha White® have in mind for the first annual Biscuits and Bluegrass Day at the Loveless Cafe. The free community event set for Saturday, October 1, will celebrate the grand opening of the new Loveless Motel Shops.
Festival goers will have the chance to tour the new shops, enjoy live bluegrass music, pottery demonstrations, a silent auction, face painting and games for kids, a pumpkin patch, and of course, taste good Southern foods, including mouth-watering biscuits.
Secrets of Famous Southern Biscuits
We all know that Carol Fay Ellison, who makes the famous biscuits at the Loveless Cafe, doesn't take to sharin' her famous, but secret, recipe. However, we do know that she uses Martha White® Self Rising Flour to make her biscuits, and like most Southern cooks, Carol Fay has developed her own special touch from many years of experience.
The good news is that you can make wonderful biscuits, too. Linda Carman, Martha White® Southern baking expert, says, "Traditional Southern biscuits contain only self-rising flour, shortening and milk - three ingredients that can be varied endlessly to make just the kind of biscuits you like, from big hearty breakfast biscuits to delicate little party biscuits." Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Of course, first of all you need a sack of good Martha White® Self-Rising Flour.
- Then, cut shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives. These little bits of shortening make the biscuits tender and flakey. Biscuits may also be made with butter or lard.
- Add milk or buttermilk and stir just until dough forms a ball. The dough should be soft, so add a little more milk, if necessary.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 10 to 12 times. Handle the dough gently - overworking dough will make biscuits tough.
- Roll out dough with a rolling pin to about 1/2-inch thick. Biscuits will double in height as they bake. Roll dough thinner for thin, crisp biscuits, or roll thicker for big tall biscuits.
- Bake on a shiny, lightly greased baking sheet. Dark pans absorb heat and make biscuits brown more on bottom than top.
"Take two and butter them while they're hot."
Nothing symbolizes Southern hospitality like a pan of hot biscuits and the invitation to butter them up while they're hot. Maybe biscuits have become such an icon of Southern baking that novice cooks are too intimidated to give them a try. But they are not hard to make and they can make you famous, too. Carman says Martha White® has a variety of good biscuit recipes to get you started.
For a traditional Southern biscuit, the Hot Rize® Biscuits recipe is the classic. Using three basic ingredients, you can have a pan of hot biscuits coming out of the oven before you know it. Cream Biscuits are a delicate little biscuit, made with butter and whipping cream, elegant enough for brunch or dinner.
Southern hosts know that country ham biscuits are appropriate for any occasion. For an all-in-one version, try Cheesy Country Ham Biscuit Bites - little drop biscuits with country ham and cheese stirred right into the dough. And for those times when you need an appetizer fast, make Quick and Easy Blue Cheese, Herb and Olive Biscuit Bites, with a little help from a convenient biscuit mix.
A leading manufacturer of Southern baking mixes and ingredients, Martha White was founded in Nashville, Tenn., in 1899. For more delicious Southern recipes, go to www.marthawhite.com and click on the recipe section.
For more information on Biscuits and Bluegrass Day at the Loveless Cafe, visit the website www.lovelesscafe.com