Biscuits

Ingredients
2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2  t cream of tartar
2 T sugar
1/2 c shortening
2/3 c milk

Optional
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, in 1/16" slices

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Baking sheet (I cover mine with foil for easy cleanup.)

Blend dry ingredients.

Add shortening and blend with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse bread crumbs. 

Make a well in the center.

Add the milk and mix just until it comes together, folding with a spatula.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Coat top with a bit of flour. Flatten with your hands to an 8x10" rectangle. Fold in half and pat back to an 8"x10" rectangle. Repeat coating with flour, folding, and reshaping to a rectangle several times. (This makes for flaky biscuits.) 

Optionally you can add slices of butter between layers for extra buttery layers.

Flatten the dough into a 3/4" thick layer. Cut with a 2 1/2" diameter biscuit cutter and place touching together. Reform remaining dough and continue cutting I til done.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and browned.

(This is my tweaked version of 'Biscuits Supreme' from an ancient copy of the Betty Crocker cookbook...)

Plum Galette

(photo copyright Jay Mumper)

Crust Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 ounces of unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks, 10 Tbsp, 137g), cut into cubes
1/4 cup (57 ml) sour cream
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
1 teaspoon cream for egg wash
Coarse sugar for sprinkling (I used Turbinado sugar)

Filling Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 lb red plums, pitted and sliced into 1/4"-3/8" wide slices
1/3 c sugar
1 T flour
juice of a lemon
zest of a lemon
1/8 t cinnamon



Our plum tree is again producing a ton of plums this year. As in prior bumper-crop years, ours are small but very juicy and sweet.

Make the crust first. This crust is very flaky and works well with the plums.

Instructions

1. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt) together well. Cube the butter into small cubes and blend into the dry mix with a pastry blender. Allow some larger chunks of butter to remain. After the butter is blended, mix in the sour cream with fork and form dough into a disc-shape, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (if your plums are small, you'll have plenty of time washing, pitting, and cutting them up while the dough cools...)

2. Place the plum slices in a bowl and add the other filling ingredients. Gently mix them together.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Flour an area to roll out the dough and put the unwrapped disk of dough and let it sit for a few minutes. Roll the dough gently and evenly into a 13" circle about 1/8"-3/16" thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and place on the parchment paper covered baking sheet.

5. Starting in the center, arrange the plum pieces in a radial pattern layering 2-3 layers deep (thicker layers in the center). Leave an edge of about 1" to 1 1/4" around the edge. Using a table knife or small spatula, begin rolling the uncovered edge back up over the edge of the plum layer. Move around the circle until the edge is flipped up all the way around.

6. Mix the egg and cream up and begin painting the flipped up edge generously all around the perimeter. Sprinkle coarse sugar generously on the egg washed area.

7. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. My oven baked these in about 35 minutes, but it could take up to 50 minutes to get the crust evenly browned and the fruit filling fully cooked and bubbling.

Remove and cool for 1 hour. 

Trying serving ala mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and we recommend Springgate's Honey Peach White Wine.

I made this with some changes based on a recipe HERE

Smashed Garlic Potato Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
6-10 medium potatoes (I used a mix of new red and white russets)
2 heads garlic
1 lg onion, thin sliced
1+5 T unsalted butter (divided)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
6-8 small peppers, cut in half lengthwise, cleaned of seeds
Olive oil for pan and garlic

Instructions
1. Wash and dice potatoes (skin on). Place a a pot, cover with water on high heat. Boil until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
2. While potatoes cook, clean garlic heads and cut off top of head exposing tops of each clove. Place in center of a sheet of foil. Drizzle tops with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. When done squeeze softened centers out discarding outer skin.
3. Saute onions with 1 T butter on medium heat until caramelized. Set aside for garnish.
4. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Drizzle or spray on a light coating of olive oil. Place 1/2 peppers on sheet.
5. Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, 5 T butter and pepper to potatoes and mash well.
6. With two spoons distribute potatoes into each 1/2 pepper (mounded). Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese. Bake in 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until top are brown and peppers start to soften.
7. Serve hot garnished on top with caramelized onions.