CHEDDAR CHEESE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

My husband and I celebrated our honeymoon in Virginia Beach, Jamestown, and Williamsburg, Virginia. Williamsburg was founded in 1699. Two of the most popular eighteenth-century cookbooks used in Virginia were, "The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy", by Mrs. Hannah Glasse and "The Compleat Housewife", by Mrs E Smith, published in London in 1727. The three eighteen-century taverns in Williamsburg that are still in operation are King's Arms, Christiana Campbell's, and Josiah Chowning's. I remember having an ale stew with cheddar cheese biscuits in one of the taverns. 

2 ½ cups all-purpose White Lily flour or Southern Biscuit flour

2 T aluminum-free baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t fine sea salt

7 T frozen unsalted butter, divided

1 cup cold buttermilk

1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

½ t paprika

1 T melted butter, for brushing on biscuits


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place rack in center of oven.


Sift flour with baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.

Unwrap most of the butter, but keep the wrapper on the very end to hold on to.

Grate the butter, using a box grater, directly into the flour mixture.

Leave a tablespoon of butter for melting to brush on the tops of the biscuits.

Quickly mix with a spoon and then make a well in the center and mix in the buttermilk, cheese, and paprika.

With floured hands, place on a lightly floured surface.

Gently fold the dough in half and repeat four more times. This creates layers, but you don’t want to overwork your dough.

Sprinkle top with flour and gently pat down with your hands to about a 1-inch thick round.

Cut with a floured 2 to 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter. Do no twist the biscuit cutter.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet with biscuits lightly touching each other.

Brush tops with melted butter.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 12 to 15 biscuits

SUNDAY IN RYAN, LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA

My Grand Uncle Edward Harding and me, c1952

He was reading the paper in his favorite rocking chair before Sunday dinner.

OLD-FASHIONED PEACH ICE CREAM

Summer has ended and the last of the peaches are still available. One of my favorite summer flavors of ice cream is peach and it totally defines summer. You just need 2 large or 3 medium size peaches for this recipe.

1½ cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar 
4 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and finely diced
1 T granulated sugar

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk to just below a simmer.
Add the sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they begin to turn a pale yellow.
Slowly pour in 2 ladles of the hot milk mixture while whisking. This helps to temper the eggs so they do not scramble.
Pour this back into the saucepan and let slowly simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens slightly, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Pour into a large heatproof pitcher or bowl and stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, mix the diced peaches in a bowl with the one tablespoon of sugar and refrigerate. 

When ready to freeze ice cream, pour the juice of the peaches into the custard. 
Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.
Just before ice cream is set, add the diced peaches. 
Spoon into a covered container and freeze until ready to serve.

Makes 1 quart


   

MIXED SALAD GREENS WITH POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE

If you love salads as much as I do, you will want to make this salad. You can buy a whole pomegranate and shake out the seeds and squeeze the juice into you dressing, but I always have pomegranate juice in my refrigerator. You can buy pomegranate seeds in the produce department in your grocery store.

Mix salad greens, enough for 2 plates

1 clementine or orange, segmented (save the pulp for the juice)

¼ small red onion, thinly sliced

4 to 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 T pomegranate juice

2 T red wine vinegar                          

½ t Dijon mustard      

½ t honey

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

¼ cup spiced candy pecans, optional

Wash and spin-dry the salad greens and place in a salad bowl.

Add the clementine segments, red onion slices, and cherry tomatoes. 

In a small bowl, squeeze in the juice from the clementine pulp and add the pomegranate juice.

Whisk in the red wine vinegar, Dijon, and honey.

Add the olive oil and whisk vigorously to combine.

Drizzle as much as you want over the salad and toss to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide between two salad plates,

Sprinkle on some pomegranate seeds and candy pecans, if desired.

THE BEST GREEK SALAD EVER

When we lived in the Spring Valley area of Washington, DC, there was a fabulous and popular deli called Wagshal's. It was just around the block from us and was known as "The President's Deli". Many Presidents, politicians, senators, and supreme court judges bought their food there. They had a delicious Greek salad that I often got there. When we moved to the West Coast, I couldn't find a Greek salad like it, so I made it myself and I have to admit, it is even better than Wagshal's. No skimping on the ingredients in this salad!

Dressing

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 T champagne or white wine vinegar

2 t fresh or freeze-dried oregano leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

3 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 English cucumber, cut in half, lengthwise and sliced

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 yellow bell peppers, chopped

10 oz jar kalamata olives, drained and pitted

8 oz. feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, and garlic.

While whisking, slowing pour in the olive oil and whisk until completely combined.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss.

Add salad dressing and gently toss to combine.

Let sit on counter for 20 to 30 minutes for flavors to develop.

Gently toss again before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

DAVID MINOR MACDONALD - 1887-1980

My Grand Uncle David is the cowboy in the center. This photo was taken in Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia c1912

GRANDPARENTS FARM HOUSE IN LOVETTSVILLE, VIRGINIA

My maternal grandparents, Charles Robert & Annie Louise (Middleton) Markham, have been gone for many, many years. This is a photo of their last home.
"All Things Southern" - sweet tea, mint juleps, country music, fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, biscuits and sausage gravy, shrimp and grits, succotash, magnolia trees and of course, wrap around porches!

Photo by Briana Montgomery Hedden - Indelible Moments Photography, 2016

IZETTA MIDDLETON MARKHAM

This is a photo taken of my mother, about 1930 in Loudoun County, Virginia. She was of English ancestry.

INDIVIDUAL PEACH CRISPS

May is the beginning of the peach season and it continues until late September.  Peaches are at their peak in July and August.
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a fruit crisp, crumble, cobbler, grunt, buckle, and brown betty? It's all in the topping or streusel.

Lee's Kitchen Tips:


A Crisp contains a topping of butter, sugar, flour, and nuts.

A Crumble is the same as a crisp but contains oats in the topping.

A Cobbler is topped with spoonfuls of sweetened dropped biscuit dough.

A Grunt is like a cobbler but cooked covered in a cast-iron skillet on top of a stove or campfire.

A Buckle is made with berries tucked into a cake batter and topped with sweet butter crumbs. The batter buckles over the fruit.

A Brown Betty is layered and also topped with sweet butter crumbs.

Filling

6 large ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and cut into wedges

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 t cornstarch

2 t lemon zest

2 T lemon juice

¼ t ground cinnamon

¼ t ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

Crisp Topping

¾ cup all-purpose flour

3 T granulated sugar

3 T brown sugar

Pinch of sea salt

1 t pure vanilla extract

6 T unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 

½ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium size bowl, toss the peaches together with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Set aside while making the crisp topping.

In a food processor, add the flour, sugars, and salt. Pulse to combine, about 5 to 6 times.

Add the vanilla, butter, and half of the almonds and pulse another 5 to 6 times.

Transfer the crumble mixture to a heavy baking pan and mix in the remaining almonds.

Spread mixture into an even layer and bake until crispy, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir halfway through the baking time.

Making the layer even prevents any thin areas from burning.

While crisp is baking, spoon peaches into 4 ramekins.

After crisp has baked, using a spoon, divide evenly over top of each ramekin.

Place ramekins onto the same baking dish and bake in oven until peaches are bubbling and top is well browned, 30 to 35 minutes.

Rotate baking sheet halfway through baking.

Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each and serve.

Serves 4