Biscuits

September 1, 2013
There's at least one reason that no calorie counts are incorporated into food-writer and magazine-editor Ellis' first cookbook, which is part of the Savor the South series. Fats alonewhether lard, Crisco, or butterwould sink any healthy-eating regime. If skipping ahead to the flavored- and sweet-biscuits section, those on strict diets, beware. Nonetheless, biscuits in moderation enhance any cuisine, as the author shows. Try a southern beef Wellington (duck-liver pt' is the substitute for beef) or heart-of-the-South heirloom tomato pie, complete with information on the recommended heirloom vegetables. Two favorites among the 55 recipes are bound to be chicken pot pie with cheddar-biscuit topping and fried pumpkin pies. Ellis goes into no little detail about the appropriate ingredients and tools (biscuit cutters with sharp edges and a clean cut), sharing her wisdom from 15 years of teaching biscuit how-to's on the road. What also relieves the biscuit-after-biscuit monotony is her cache of stories, proof positive that conversation and cooking go hand in hand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)