Baking powder biscuits enhance dinnertime offerings

What’s more welcome with the evening meal than hot-from the oven biscuits? Whether a soup/salad supper or full family dinner, easy to make biscuits will enhance either with fragrant warmth. Today, three recipes for you to choose from are guaranteed to surprise and delight the diners. Enjoy!

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

With Dill and Chives

Makes about 18

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tb sugar

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces

1 cup plus 2 Tb. milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives or green onions w/tops

3 Tb. packed chopped fresh dill heads OR 1 Tb. dried dillweed

2 1/2 cups lightly packed grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450F. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, mustard and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter, rubbing with fingertips into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk milk, chives and dill into medium bowl; pour into dry ingredients, stirring until moist dough forms. Mix in 2 cups of the cheese. Tour dough out onto floured surface; knead lightly to distribute cheese evenly. Roll or pat dough out to generous 1/2-inch thickness. With 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out biscuits. Gather scraps, roll out for additional biscuits.

Transfer biscuits to heavy large ungreased baking sheet. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until biscuits are golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to platter; serve warm or cold.

Corn Biscuits with

Bacon and Sage

(Makes 12)

8 bacon slices (real or soy ok)

2 cups flour

1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

3 Tbs. cane sugar

5 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. butter, cut into pieces

2 large eggs

6 Tbs. buttermilk

1 3/4 tsp. packed dried crumbled/rubbed sage

1 cup thawed drained frozen corn kernels

1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Fresh ground black pepper (optional)

Place rack in center of oven and set at 375F. Butter a heavy large baking sheet; set aside. In a skillet, cook bacon carefully until lightly brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to cool, then crumble into small pieces.

Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips till mixture resembles coarse meal. In a medium bowl whisk together the 2 eggs, buttermilk, sage and 2 Tbs. bacon drippings if any; (if soy bacon was used add 2 Tbs. melted butter). Add to flour mixture and stir until moist dough forms. Stir in corn and bacon crumbles.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently until smooth – about 8 turns. Roll out to 10x8-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 12 squares. Place squares on prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly. Brush with egg glaze, sprinkle lightly with pepper, if desired. Bake until golden and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Our final recipe is almost good enough for dessert!

Spiced Pumpkin

Walnut Biscuits

(Makes about 16)

2 1/2 cups flour

4 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. EACH ground ginger and ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. chilled whipping cream

1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar

4 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. packed grated lemon peel

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

16 walnut halves

Place rack in center of oven; preheat to 375F. Butter heavy large baking sheet; set aside. Mix flour, bakig powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cardamom in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips till mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk pumpkin, 1/4 cup cream, brown sugar, 2 Tbs. honey and the lemon peel in another bowl to blend. Add pumpkin mixture and chopped nuts to dry ingredients and stir until incorporated into moist dough.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently until smooth, about 8 turns. Pat or roll out dough to 3/4-inch thickness. Using a floured 2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out rounds, re-rolling scraps into more biscuits till all dough is used. Place biscuits on buttered baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Whisk remaining 2 Tbs. cream and 2 Tbs. honey in small bowl. Brush atop each biscuit. Garnish each with walnut half. Bake biscuits until light golden and tester in center comes out clean – about 25 minutes.

Transfer biscuits to rack and cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Heavenly!

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.