Makeover Cheddar Biscuits

The spring cooking class started this week — session one of eight. Sixteen students this time (the expanded roster). Kayla beside me in her scrubs because she came straight from a shift. And Hattie Pearl's skillet on the counter, same as always, because the skillet is the first thing they see and the last thing they forget.

Shrimp and grits. The opener. The classic. I told the story of Pearl. I told the story of the grits — stone-ground, Sapelo mill. I told them about Earl and the "That's the best you've ever made." I told them about the blog and the book and the way food carries memory the way bones carry marrow — invisibly, structurally, essentially.

A man in the class — Thomas, mid-fifties, recently widowed — he stood at the stove stirring the grits and he said, quietly, to nobody in particular, "My wife used to make grits." Just that. Five words. And the room got quiet the way rooms do when someone has said something true, and I walked over and I stood beside him and I said, "Then stir them like she's watching, baby. Because she is." He looked at me. His eyes were full. He stirred the grits. They were perfect.

After class, Thomas stayed. He helped clean up. He said, "I signed up because I don't know how to cook. My wife did all the cooking. She died in July and I've been eating out of cans for six months." I said, "Thomas, by the end of these eight weeks, you will never eat out of a can again. I promise you that." He nodded. He left. And I stood in the community center kitchen and I thought about Earl and about how grief drives us to unexpected places — to cooking classes, to kitchens, to the stoves of women who understand loss because they've lived it.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Every time I teach shrimp and grits, I put a basket of these biscuits on the counter before the first student walks through the door — something warm in the room before I even say hello. That night with Thomas, after he stirred those grits with his whole heart, I pressed one of these into his hand while they were still hot and told him, “This is where you start.” A biscuit is a small thing, but it is never a small thing. This is the recipe, lightened up just enough that I can eat three without guilt, which I do, every single class.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 12 biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
For the topping: 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

Heat the oven. Preheat to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne until evenly combined.
Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Do not overwork — cold butter is the secret to lift.
Add the cheese and buttermilk. Stir in the shredded cheddar, then pour in the buttermilk. Fold gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. The dough will be sticky and shaggy — that’s exactly right.
Drop the biscuits. Using a heaping tablespoon or a 1/4-cup scoop, drop rounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. You should have 12 biscuits.
Bake. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the tops are golden and the edges are set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Make the garlic butter topping. While the biscuits bake, stir together the melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley in a small bowl.
Brush and serve. As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, brush each one generously with the garlic butter. Serve warm, immediately. Do not let them sit. Nobody ever lets them sit.

Nutrition (per serving)

Makeover Cheddar Biscuits — The Recipe I Pass Around While the Grits Are Still on the Stove