Fluffy Biscuits

Page 381... Cook's Illustrated's The Best Recipe...I've now made this recipe so many times that the book just falls open to this page. You can also go there if you want the original recipe--this is my adapted version. For one thing, the original makes twice as many, but I find that biscuits are best fresh and so for just me I really don't want to keep that many on hand. These are very quick--20-25 minutes total--and come together easily in the food processor. I often make a little breakfast sandwich with with one of these sausages:

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/4" cubes

1 more tablespoon of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix milk and vinegar and let stand a minute or two until slightly coagulated (yes, a little gross). Combine all dry ingredients in a food processor and wiz for a second to combine. Add butter and pulse a few times until combined. Add the milk & vinegar, and pulse a few more times until it just begins to form a ball in the bowl. Scrape out onto a lightly floured surface. Working the dough as little as possible, form into a ball and then flatten to about 3/4". Cut into 6 rounds; you will have to combine scraps to get the last one or two. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes--be careful, the bottoms can brown quickly.

Best breakfast!

Coconut Bread

This seems like a good thing to make for my mother on Mother's Day. But really, who are we kidding? She lives 1000 miles away...I made this for me! I cut this out of the NY Times a few years ago, but the recipe originates from a Bill's Cafe in Sydney, Australia (sadly, a place I've never visited). I usually eat it toasted, sometimes for breakfast--but plenty of other times of the day as well!

2 eggs
1+1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1+1/2 cup flaked coconut
6 tbsp. melted butter

Heat oven to 350°. Whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix in sugar and coconut. Make a well in the center and pour in egg mixture. Mix until just combined, then stir in melted butter and mix until smooth (but don't overmix). Grease & flour an 8+1/2" x 4" loaf pan and pour in batter. Bake for 1 to 1+1/4 hours, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on a rack.

Easy Breakfast Sausage

I fry up one of these patties for breakfast every other day or so. They are especially tasty on toast! I use ground chicken, though you can certainly try ground pork or turkey. Turkey is very dry however, so the patty doesn't stick together as well. Liberally adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe.

olive/veg. oil

1 shallot or small onion, minced

2-3 cloves (or more!) garlic, minced

2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds

2 tablespoons mustard (I use a mix of Dijon and whole-grain)

2 tablespoons sage, minced (less if using dried)

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound ground chicken

salt & pepper

Saute shallot in the oil over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook one minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, sage, tomatoes and cayenne; let cool. Mix with ground chicken, season with salt and pepper.

At this point you can form into patties (6-8) and fry up immediately. I usually put patties on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze. After they are frozen, store in a freezer bag and cook up at your leisure.