Pineapple Biscuits -- Something Sweet for a Sunday That Needed It

Three months since James died. I have been tracking it like a calendar because grief has its own arithmetic. Every thirty days the number gets bigger and the weight does not get proportionally lighter, it just gets different. The sharp edges round off and something more general takes their place. I do not know if that is better. I know it is survivable, which I have been saying about things since I was old enough to assess my own life.

Gloria is doing better this week. Her sister Loretta came from Birmingham for a few days and I gave them their space, only came Sunday. The house smelled different. Loretta perfume and they had the TV going and there were two coffee cups on the table instead of one. Gloria seemed lighter. You do not know what your own loneliness looks like until someone briefly takes it away and you see the difference.

Sunday cooking was fried chicken. The full production. Gloria recipe, which involves a buttermilk soak overnight and a seasoning blend she has not written down since 1987 and quotes from memory with the authority of law. I did the frying while she and Loretta and Destiny watched from the table like a three-person panel of judges.

Loretta said it tasted right. Coming from Loretta who learned to cook from the same mother as Gloria, that is high praise. Destiny ate her chicken bone clean and then looked at it like she was surprised there was nothing left. I remember that feeling. Good food surprising you with how completely it disappears. I put more on her plate and she said thank you without being prompted, which Gloria noticed with a small satisfied look.

I drove home with the window down even though the AC works now. Some habits are hard to give up. The night air smelled like fall was finally deciding to come.

I did not make these that Sunday — the fried chicken was Gloria’s production and nobody adds to that — but driving home with the window down I was already thinking about the next week, about what I might bring. Something soft and a little sweet felt right. Pineapple biscuits are the kind of thing that does not announce itself, just sits on the table and makes people reach for one before they realize they’ve moved. After watching Destiny eat that chicken bone clean and Gloria catch it with that small satisfied look, I wanted more of that. A biscuit like this would earn its place.

Pineapple Biscuits

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 12 biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, well drained (reserve 2 tablespoons juice)
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
2. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until evenly combined.
3. Cut in butter. Add cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
4. Drain pineapple. Press the crushed pineapple firmly in a fine mesh strainer or between paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice for the wet mix.
5. Combine wet ingredients. Stir together the drained pineapple, milk, and reserved pineapple juice in a small bowl.
6. Form the dough. Pour the pineapple mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently with a fork just until a soft dough comes together. Do not overmix — the dough should be slightly shaggy.
7. Shape and cut. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat gently to about 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter or into squares with a knife, pressing straight down without twisting.
8. Bake. Arrange biscuits on the prepared baking sheet so they are just touching. Bake 10–12 minutes, until tops are lightly golden and biscuits are cooked through.
9. Cool briefly and serve. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Best warm, with butter or a light drizzle of honey.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 145 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 185mg