FOOD ISSUE SPECIAL: Nathalie Dupree on biscuits, life
Written by Arielle Stevenson, Oct 31, 2011, 0 Comments
The half-dollar sized biscuit Nathalie Dupree holds is more like a microchip than a simple baked good. The chef and author explained biscuits first descended from the biscotti—in the south they were “beaten biscuits,” Dupree said.
They were a constant in southern life—quick, crunchy and fresh. Just flour and water mixed together, beaten tirelessly by whoever was assigned the task at the given historical moment. “Slaves, servants, women and then machines,” Dupree said.
Eugene Walters wrote the Time Life Cookbook series, where the first recipe for beaten biscuits appeared to mainstream America.
“I guarantee no one has ever laid in bed at night and wanted a beaten biscuit,” Dupree said. “You will never make a biscuit as hard as a beaten biscuit.”
On Oct. 21, Dupree came to USFSP’s Campus Grind coffee shop ahead of her talk at the Times Festival of Reading. Dupree had cooking programs on PBS and the Food Network, publishing 11 cookbooks over the last 30 years. Her latest book, “Southern Biscuits,” came out this year.
Originally, Dupree was slated to do her biscuit talk at the Barnes & Noble Starbucks on campus. But the oven at the coffee shop bookstore is set permanently to one temperature for all pastries. Co-Director of Florida Studies Gary Mormino was slated with the task of obtaining her grocery list for the demonstration. The most important ingredient Dupree needed for the demo? White Lily Flour.
“The right flour is the most important ingredient in biscuits and pie crusts,” Dupree said.
Dupree explained how Pillsbury and other flour companies shipped different flour mixtures north and south. Southern flour traditionally has less gluten than northern flour. She noted that self-rising flour already has baking powder and salt, which makes baking easier.
Dupree prefers White Lily Flour for her biscuits, which is enriched white flour. She noted that historically white flour was a sign of affluence, but that has changed with health consciousness trending towards whole-wheat flour.
“This is enriched flour and no has died from enriched flour yet,” Dupree said. “As far as I’m concerned there is no such thing as a whole wheat biscuit.”
Use ingredients that are stocked normally in your kitchen, Dupree said. Don’t be too strict with recipe measurements—start with less and add more.
“Weather is different everyday so flour is different every day,” Dupree said.
Sifting flour, according to Dupree, is as simple as a gentle stir with a fork.
“A traditional sifter where you tap the sides is great,” Dupree said. “But you should avoid getting kitchen appliances that only have one purpose.”
Once the flour is sifted and in the bowl, make a small well or hole in the middle of the flour. Ensure the flour is padded into the bowl, and then add milk, water or other liquid. Dupree mentions the “cloudy water” or non-fat milk her husband used to drink when they first met. She grew up with cream in the house, thus introducing it into his diet.
“Everyone has their own way to die,” Dupree said. “We want to die having eaten cream.”
Butter or lard adds fat to a biscuit, resulting in tenderness, Dupree said. She swears by the thin plastic cutting boards whose flexibility makes for easy biscuit construction with minimal cleanup.
Her hands are covered in flour. But she doesn’t rinse them.
“Some people like a dry biscuit, a skinny biscuit, a tender biscuit or a hard biscuit,” Dupree said. “Biscuits are just like men.”
“Don’t clean your hands off with water while baking,” Dupree said. “Use flour to clean them off because water changes the recipe.”
The wetter the dough, the more it expands once in the oven, Dupree said. Unlike baking bread, dough must be handled gently for biscuits. Never knead. Once the dough is on the cutting board, pad it with fingertips and fold until mixture is right.
“You won’t know what that means until you get the feel of it,” Dupree said.
Dupree cuts her biscuits smaller, like the traditional southern biscuits.
“Everyone had large families in the south so you made small biscuits throughout the day,” she said. “If you tried to make larger biscuits they’d fight over them.”
Counter to special awareness, cut the biscuit out in the middle of the dough Dupree said. Put the leftover pieces or “messes” in a stack and fold again.
Layers are desired so folding dough several times for each batch is OK. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve fresh with anything, and don’t forget to try, try again.
“I give everyone in this room permission to spend $10 on ingredients,” Dupree said. “Close the door to the kitchen and give yourself permission to just practice.”
Photo by Chris Campbell
