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Excerpted from our Making Dough cookbook by Russell van Kraayenburg. 

YIELD: 6 shortcakes  |  PREP TIME: 1 hour  |  BAKE TIME: 12 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound prepared Biscuit Dough

1 cup heavy cream

5 sprigs fresh mint

4 ounces granulated sugar, divided

12 ounces blackberries, pureed, plus 12 ounces whole berries

1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

½ teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut biscuits and bake according to the instructions on page 28, about 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside.

2. Heat heavy cream and mint sprigs in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, until cream reaches the scalding point (180°F on a clipped-on thermometer); it will begin to steam and appear slightly frothy. Transfer to the refrigerator and let steep for 1 hour, until cold.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the blackberry sauce: bring pureed blackberries, half of the sugar, chopped mint, lemon juice, and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat slightly to maintain boil and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; discard any blackberry seeds. Set aside to cool.

4. Strain steeped cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl; discard mint leaves. Whip cream with an electric mixer on high speed while slowly adding the remaining sugar, until stiff peaks form. Note: This will take longer than normal whipped cream, up to 10 minutes, because of the oils from the mint leaves. Set aside in the refrigerator.

5. Assemble the shortcakes: Cut biscuits in half to create two rounds. Cover each bottom half with blackberries and blackberry sauce. Top with the top halves. Spoon whipped cream on top and drizzle with a little more blackberry sauce before serving.

Excerpted from our Making Dough Cookbook by Russell van Kraayenburg.

YIELD: 1 pound  |  PREP TIME: 20 minutes  |  BAKE TIME: 12 minutes

Ingredients

6 ounces cake flour

2 ounces bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Mixing the Dough

There are two ways to mix biscuit dough: by hand or using a food processor.

By-Hand Method

1. Mix flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.

2. Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture.

3. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, pinch or cut butter into flour, breaking it into pieces about the size of coarse cornmeal. If using your hands, work quickly to prevent butter from melting.

4. Add milk and stir 10 to 20 times with a wooden spoon, until dough just begins to come together.

5. Place dough on a very lightly floured surface. Knead 4 to 5 times, until it just holds its shape. Take care not to knead the dough too much or add.

Food Processor Method

1. Pulse flours, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor to combine.

2. Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture. Pulse for 1 to 2 seconds 8 to 12 times, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

3. Add milk and pulse 2 to 4 times, until dough begins to come together. It will form a few large chunks and many small ones.

4. Transfer dough chunks to a very lightly floured surface and push together. Knead 3 to 5 times, until dough just holds its shape. Take care not to knead the dough too much or add too much flour, which can make the biscuits tough.

Why Cake Flour?

The American South enjoys a growing season that is relatively long and free of harshly cold weather, so less hardy varieties of wheat can be grown there. The resulting flour has a lower protein content, which is responsible for the cakey biscuits associated with that region. The similarly low protein content in cake flour will consistently produce these classic soft biscuits.

How to Handle Leftover Dough

When using a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out round biscuits, you’ll inevitably have leftover dough. Instead of kneading the leftover pieces together before rerolling the dough, stack them in layers and then roll the stack. Every time you knead or roll dough, it will become tougher. Stacking it helps delay the toughening.

Storage

Bake immediately, or store in an airtight container. Refrigerator: 2 days. Freezer: 1 month.

Qualities of Good Biscuit Dough

THE DOUGH: Biscuit dough should be dry but easy to manipulate. You should also see small dots of butter throughout the dough.

THE PASTRY: Once baked, biscuits should be tender. The outside crust should be firm and crumble easily, and the crumb inside should be soft.

Adding Mix-Ins

Throwing in some mix-ins—such as herbs or spices, lemon zest, a small pile of cheese, or a big pile of bacon—is a snap. Biscuit dough can handle it! So long as your add-ins are dry, they won’t affect the dough ratio.

Making Classic Butter Biscuits

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll prepared dough with a rolling pin until ¾ inch thick. Cut out 2½-inch disks with a cookie or biscuit cutter, or simply pull off small handfuls of dough for a more rustic look. Stack pieces of leftover dough, roll dough again, and cut out more disks. Repeat until all the dough is used. Place biscuits on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet spaced at least 1 inch apart. Brush tops with melted butter. Bake for 12 minutes, until tops are just golden. Let biscuits cool on the pan

for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Photo via Drink Philly

Quick! Gather your sweaters about you and tuck a pencil behind your ear. It's the bookish events roundup!

Tonight, Friday, October 3. If you're not heading over to the Pigeon Presents Philly Poetry Slam for a high-energy duel of words, then go to the historic backroom of Snockey's, a centenarian oyster restaurant, for the release of Philly poet Ryan Eckes' funny, wry, and elegant new book *VALU-PLUS*. Dinner and drinks at 7:00 p.m., poetry reading at 8:30, after-party to follow. 2nd and Washington.

On Saturday, October 4, the Musehouse writing center in Germantown welcomes Kristina Moriconi, 2014 Montgomery County Poet Laureate, to read from her recent poems created in response to art. Free! 7 p.m.,  7924 Germantown Avenue.

If that's not rad enough for you, then maybe you need to attend the Zine Brunch at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, with a BBQ and Brunch "at the same damn time." New zine releases by Black Quantum Futurism and Mother Moor Goddess. If you make zines, bring one to add to the Black Quantum Futurism Library! 3213 Turner Street.

On Tuesday, October 7,  at 7:00pm. the Monthly Writers' Group for Caregivers with Kathy Roberson (poet, social worker, caregiver) meets at Big Blue Marble Books in Mount Airy. If you The group gives members an opportunity to tell their own stories, in their own words, and support one another as both writers and caregivers. If you or someone you know could use an outlet like this, then come on by to Big Blue Marble.

Fiction writers, rejoice: on Thursday, October 9, the TireFire reading series is back to ply you with beer and stories in bumper cars. Never stuffy, always a great variety of readers, this is a great entry point to the lit scene. Paula Bomer, Christy Crutchfield, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Ph.D. Mike Ingram, and Lillian Dunn at Tattooed Mom. Doors open at 7 p.m. and readings start at 8 p.m.

And mark your calendars for Friday, October 10. The Red Sofa Reading Series run by poet Hila Ratzabi at IndyHall is back for its one year anniversary. Bringing poetry to the geek crew on N3rd Street, this diverse lineup includes Patrick Rosal, Yolanda Wisher, and Chloe Martinez and is followed by a dance party with DJ Krishna! Plus wine, plus book signing, plus cupcakes by Whipped Bakeshop. Be there: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., IndyHall.

Photo via Drink Philly

Quick! Gather your sweaters about you and tuck a pencil behind your ear. It's the bookish events roundup!

Tonight, Friday, October 3. If you're not heading over to the Pigeon Presents Philly Poetry Slam for a high-energy duel of words, then go to the historic backroom of Snockey's, a centenarian oyster restaurant, for the release of Philly poet Ryan Eckes' funny, wry, and elegant new book *VALU-PLUS*. Dinner and drinks at 7:00 p.m., poetry reading at 8:30, after-party to follow. 2nd and Washington.

On Saturday, October 4, the Musehouse writing center in Germantown welcomes Kristina Moriconi, 2014 Montgomery County Poet Laureate, to read from her recent poems created in response to art. Free! 7 p.m.,  7924 Germantown Avenue.

If that's not rad enough for you, then maybe you need to attend the Zine Brunch at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, with a BBQ and Brunch "at the same damn time." New zine releases by Black Quantum Futurism and Mother Moor Goddess. If you make zines, bring one to add to the Black Quantum Futurism Library! 3213 Turner Street.

On Tuesday, October 7,  at 7:00pm. the Monthly Writers' Group for Caregivers with Kathy Roberson (poet, social worker, caregiver) meets at Big Blue Marble Books in Mount Airy. If you The group gives members an opportunity to tell their own stories, in their own words, and support one another as both writers and caregivers. If you or someone you know could use an outlet like this, then come on by to Big Blue Marble.

Fiction writers, rejoice: on Thursday, October 9, the TireFire reading series is back to ply you with beer and stories in bumper cars. Never stuffy, always a great variety of readers, this is a great entry point to the lit scene. Paula Bomer, Christy Crutchfield, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Ph.D. Mike Ingram, and Lillian Dunn at Tattooed Mom. Doors open at 7 p.m. and readings start at 8 p.m.

And mark your calendars for Friday, October 10. The Red Sofa Reading Series run by poet Hila Ratzabi at IndyHall is back for its one year anniversary. Bringing poetry to the geek crew on N3rd Street, this diverse lineup includes Patrick Rosal, Yolanda Wisher, and Chloe Martinez and is followed by a dance party with DJ Krishna! Plus wine, plus book signing, plus cupcakes by Whipped Bakeshop. Be there: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., IndyHall.

Excerpted from our Making Dough cookbook by Russell van Kraayenburg.

YIELD: 6 biscuits  |  PREP TIME: 30 minutes  |  BAKE TIME: 12 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound Biscuit Dough, prepared as at left

3 ounces cold, chopped duck fat

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

½  small white onion, sliced

1 ounce all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, diced

2 teaspoons chives, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare biscuits as described, but replace butter with duck fat. Bake as instructed.

2. While biscuits bake, make the gravy: melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes, until translucent. Reduce heat to low and add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes so that the flour flavor cooks out.

3. Pour in milk while stirring. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, tarragon, and chives.

4. Serve biscuits with warm gravy.

Variation

Bacon Fat Biscuits

Using a different fat can dramatically affect the flavor of a biscuit. See for yourself: Substitute bacon fat for the duck fat and omit the chives and tarragon. This variation makes a more traditional biscuits and gravy dish.