BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits

Subject: BS: Sherry & Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 05:10 PM

I'm looking for a recipe and having no luck whatsoever.

Several years ago Curmudgeon's cousin had a package of commercially manufactured biscuits (round, 2 inches across, flat) that were flavored with sherry and black pepper. They melted in the mouth, rather buttery, and were not sweet, but unusual and delicious. The only sweetening came from the sherry.

I would love to find a recipe, but I don't even know what they were called. Anybody else run into these in their travels? Got a recipe? Got an educated guess at a recipe?

Help!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 09:27 PM

When you say "biscuits" do you mean biscuits like in the US (e.g., powdermilk biscuits, beaten biscuits) or like in the UK, where they are what we in more enlightened countries call cookies (e.g., Oreos, chocolate chip, etc.)?

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 09:57 PM

They sound more like crackers to me, not cookies.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 10:08 PM

Crackers and more crackers (next to the cheese) and snack crackers like my kids sometime take in their lunch.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: mack/misophist
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 10:42 PM

You folks quit messing around and give the Bat Goddess her recipe. I want to see it.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 11:08 PM

I tried a Google search, mack, and closest I came to a food with sherry and pepper is some kind of Jamaican hot sauce made from extremely hot peppers. A dash of that in the dough and the crackers would bake without need of an oven!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Jeri
Date: 17 Nov 03 - 11:32 PM

Sounds like digestive biscuits. I'm sure Batty Googled, and I Googled also, without success. Recipe for water biscuits with sherry instead of water? (No, I don't have a recipe.)

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 12:15 AM

Digestive biscuits--now that's a name that (on this side of the pond) conjures up images of tooth powder and hot water bottles. Are they something that sit on the bathroom shelf next to the Alka Seltzer?

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: open mike
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 12:19 AM

this is the most comprehensive collection I know of:
Searchable Online Archive Recipe (SOAR)

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: open mike
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 12:23 AM

Here are 2 pepper biscuits recipes form the web site i mentioned.
check out the 2nd one...use sherry instead of wine...

PEPPER BISCUITS

Recipe By    :
Serving Size : 12   Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Cajun                            Breads

   Amount Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
    2 1/2   c            All purpose flour
    1       tb          Baking powder
      1/2   ts          Salt
    1       tb          Coarse cracked black pepper
      1/2   ts          Baking soda
      3/4   c            Shortening
    1       c            Buttermilk

   Preheat oven to 450-500F. Sift 2 cups of the flour
   with the baking powder, salt, pepper, and baking soda
   into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry
   blender or fork, or work it in with your fingers. Add
   the buttermilk to make a soft dough, mixing just until
   the dough holds together. Flour your hands. Pull of
   a piece of dough the size of a biscuit and dip the wet
   edge into the extra flour. The roll or pat into a
   biscuit. Place slightly touching, on a lightly
   greased baking sheet. Bake until golden golden brown.
    8-10 minutes. From Nathalie Dupree's "New Southern
   Cooking"

THIS MAY BE THE ONE__IT CALLS FOR WINE

Title: Pepper Biscuits
Categories: Breads, Italian
       Yield: 2 Dozen

       6 c Flour
       6 t Baking powder
   1 1/4 c Vegetable oil
   1 1/2 c White or red wine
   1 1/2 t Black pepper, course grind
       2 t Salt
    1/4 c Warm water, use as needed

   Mix all ingredients. Knead about 15 minutes. Take a small amount of
   dough (size of small walnut) shape in finger twist or knot and place
   on ungreased cookie sheet. bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes until
   brown. Can be frozen.

MMMMM

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 07:56 AM

Okay -- what I'm looking for is a cross between a cracker and a cookie -- yeah, just like a digestive biscuit sort of is. The ones I had were round and flat -- about 1/8th of an inch thick as I remember them. (Well, maybe closer to a pica -- I AM a typographer, after all.) Cracker-like or crisp cookie. But melt-in-the-mouth.

I'm definitely going to give the Pepper Biscuits above a shot -- even if they aren't exactly what I'm looking for, they sound really good.

I googled and googled in a bunch of different ways -- searched Epicurious and a few other sites. Got to specifiy black pepper otherwise all kinds of stuff made with various hot sauces come up. Once, when searching for sherry (and black pepper) got a whole bunch of recipes submitted by someone named Sherry. Sigh. 'Mudge spent a few hours searching, too.

My suspicion is that in the above recipe the cookies flatten out while baking. The ones I remember looked like they had been rolled out thin and then cut with a cookie cutter. I'll try that recipe anyway, though. I don't think I'll have any time until the weekend, unfortunately.

Thanks for all the help!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 12:27 PM

When I was searching for images of crackers I saw some that fit this description, like they'd been rolled out. You may have to examine the recipes and look at the pictures and work out a recipe for yourself. I've done that a few times, when I couldn't find exactly the right recipe, I found a good starting place and started experimenting.

I suppose you've tried tracking down Curmudgeon's cousin and asking him/her where they came from?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 11:43 AM

If Curmudgeon remembers to bring home the sherry, I'll try the above recipe that calls for wine tomorrow and report back.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 11:47 AM

Waiddamnnit-- can't we just take any old biscuit, sprinkle on a generous amount of black pepper, and then dunk in the sherry before nibbling? IMO the proportions would likely be more, um, palatable that way! :~)

Might make some of the wine-recipe ones for upcoming Turkey Day's appetizer course (all-day nosh). With Brie on top of course!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Jeri
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 11:52 AM

WYS, I think you may want to dunk first, THEN sprinkle. (It might make for some interesting sherry, though!)

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 12:00 PM

Chai Sherry? :~)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Rapparee
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 08:20 PM

Cream sherry? Dry sherry? What sort of sherry? (Certianly not the Sherry I used to date.)

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Micca
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 08:30 PM

ah Rapaire, but was she dtry, but full bodied??

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Helen
Date: 22 Nov 03 - 11:48 PM

Reminds me of a joke:

Three women and their daughters go for a drive but, sadly, they are all killed in a car crash.

The first woman and her daughter go up to the Pearly Gates, and St Peter says, "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but you can't come in here. All your life you only ever thought about money, and you even called your lovely daughter, here, Penny."

So she grabs her daughter's hand and takes her down below.

The next woman steps up to the gate, and St Peter says, "You can't come in here, either. All your life you only ever thought about alcohol, and you named your daughter Sherry."

So off she goes downstairs as well.

St Peter looks at the next woman, and starts to speak, but she grabs her daughter's hand and says, "Come on Fanny**, we're leaving!"



** (You may have to remember the English & Oz-lish meaning for the word "fanny" here.)

Now, enough of the thread creep: these biscuits aren't like rice crackers are they? Made of rice meal and very crisp, and quite thin.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Nov 03 - 01:03 AM

And not a pfefferneuse?

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Nov 03 - 12:23 PM

No, not pfefferneuse at all. (Speaking of which, I should have made some of those, too, since my mother's arthritis has forced her to give up her holiday cookie and candy making.)

Thin, flat, buttery, not sweet -- just whatever sweetness from the dry sherry.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Helen
Date: 23 Nov 03 - 07:45 PM

So not a shortbread?   

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Helen
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 01:48 AM

Okay, these are some of the recipes I have found after a quick Google.

What about the Shrewsbury Biscuits? Does that sound similar?

The Biscochitos and the Italian wine cookies sound nice, too. The Greek crescents are probably not the right consistency. I had one the other day, made by one of my students who is Greek. Yummm! But more crumbly and of a shortbread consistency than what you are looking for, I think.

Sherry Christmas Cookies
http://southernfood.about.com/library/holiday/blxm33.htm
·        1 1/2 c. flour, unsifted
·        1/2 c. sugar
·        1/2 tsp. salt
·        1/4 c. oil
·        1 egg, beaten
·        2 tbsp. sherry
·        1 egg white, slightly beaten
·        Green sugar
Mix all ingredients, except egg white and green sugar. Roll 1/8 inch thick, cut with small Christmas tree cutter, put on cookie sheet, brush with egg white. Sprinkle with green sugar and bake for about 10 minutes, 400 degrees.
Makes 48 cookies.

Q: What is "green sugar"?


Shrewsbury Biscuits

8oz plain flour
1 level tsp. baking powder
4ozs caster sugar
4ozs butter or margarine
(hard sort like Echo or Stork)
Half tsp. caraway seed
Quarter tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. rose water
1 Egg

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients and rub the fat in.
2. Mix the egg with the rose water.
3. Add to dry ingredients to make soft dough.
4. Roll out on a floured board.
5. Shape into a long roll about 12 x 12 inches.
6. Refrigerate until firm enough to slice thinly.
7. Cut in half, then quarters etc. (Makes 32).
8. Bake on a greased tray 370F/190C/Gas No5.
9. Bake well apart on a greased tray for 10 mins.

Here is an extract by Elizabeth Anderton from "A Little Shropshire Gift Book", published in 1978 by Westmid Supplies, Mytton House, Coton Hill.
"Mr Palin, prince of cake compounders
The mouth liquifies at thy very name!"

"This fulsome praise, given in one of The Ingoldsby Legends, is for Mr Palin of Shrewsbury, renowned for his particular mix of Shrewsbury cake or biscuits.

These used to be bought by visitors in much the same way as shortbread in Scotland or clotted cream in Devon.

Recipes vary considerably but all contain spices and rosewater which is the ingredient that gives the distinctive flavour to Turkish Delight.

Different instructions specify the use of nutmeg, caraway, cinnamon; many add "sack" or sherry.

Here is one old recipe that I tried; it was possibly a little too sweet for modern tastes.
1lb each plain flour, fine sugar, 3 beaten eggs, caraway seed and nutmeg, 3 spoonfuls each of rosewater and sherry.

Mix altogether, roll out, cut into shapes, prick all over, bake in a moderate oven (I used 300F for just under 30 minutes.

The addition of butter and the reduction of sugar gives a result more like a shortbread as in this version, from A New System of Domestic Cookery by A Lady, 1819:

Shrewsbury Cakes
Sift one pound of sugar, some pounded cinnamon, and a nutmeg grated, into three pounds of flour, the finest sort; add a little rosewater to three eggs well beaten, and mix these with the flour etc.

Then pour into it as much butter melted as will make it a good thickness to roll out. Mould it well and roll it thin and cut it into such shapes as you like."S

Sherry Thins

Serves 30; 2 cookies per serving
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light margarine
Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg, or 1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cream sherry
Vegetable oil spray
Flour for rolling dough
In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating well. In a large bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Add to margarine mixture alternately with sherry, beating after each addition. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray baking sheets with vegetable oil spray. Lightly flour flat surface. Roll out half of dough. Cut out shapes with small cookie cutters. Repeat with remaining dough. (You'll have about 60 cookies if using 2-inch round biscuit cutter.) Put on baking sheets. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown.


Biscochitos

Recipe By : The Dessert Show, Debbie Fields
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cookies Tvfn

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Butter -- softened (2 sticks)
3 tablespoons Sweet sherry
1 Egg
3 cups All-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder
2 teaspoons Anise seed -- crushed
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 cup sugar, butter, sherry and egg in large bowl. Stir in I flour, baking powder, anise and salt. Mix well. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over cookies. Bake until golden brown.



Greek Grandfather's Christmas Crescents

The recipe for this Old World butter cookie was passed on to me in 1977 by my aunt, Minerva McFeaters. Her father, Athan Demetrius, a native of Constantinople who arrived in America in 1893, first taught her to make it in the 1920s.
1 cup soft, but not melted, butter (no substitution)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup ground or finely chopped pecans (we used pecan meal we found at Giant Eagle)
2 tablespoons whiskey or brandy or cream sherry or 1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour, sifted before measuring
18 to 20 whole cloves
Powdered sugar for coating the crescents
Distribute the nutmeats evenly through the sugar.
Cream the butter into the sugar-nut mixture by hand until smooth.
Blend in flour, alternating with the flavoring (whiskey, etc.) until a ball of dough forms.
Shape the dough, on a floured surface, with floured hands, into a log 18 to 20 inches long and one inch thick. Cut the log into one-inch segments.
Shape each segment into crescents or half-moons, 1/2-inch thick.
Press a clove into the center of each crescent before placing on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden.
Being careful not to break the delicate cookies, lift each one onto a large square of waxed paper (my aunt used tissue paper) covered with powdered sugar and, while still warm, sift more powdered sugar over them.
Cool thoroughly before moving to an airtight tin.
Makes 18 to 20 crescent-shaped cookies.
Note: The cloves, representing spices the Magi brought to the Christ Child, are edible after baking, but remove them for the safety of very small children.
Stock family private holiday recipes collection, 1977.


Italian Wine Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine -- softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
5 cups sifted flour
dash   salt
2/3 cup sweet Marsala or sherry
1 egg white
Chopped nuts


Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and beat until light.
Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with wine and mix well. Chill. Roll out thin on floured board and cut with 2" cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with nuts.
Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 min.
http://www.geocities.com/hheber/cookies/

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 07:22 AM

Green Sugar would not be mouldy sugar, more likely coloured with green food colouring... :-) may have flavour added too... You probably could use pre-made green sprinkles...

Love all these receipies....

I worked for a while in Arnott's Brisbane Old Factory...

Always loved the smell of baking biscuits, especially my Grandmother with her wooden stove...

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 01:47 PM

But, alas, no black pepper!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 22 Apr 05 - 01:21 PM

Bat Goddess.. I suspect what you had was a type of savory Shortbread. I shall mess about in the kitchen today with some butter, flour, sherry and Pepper and see if I can create something that resembles and tastes similar to what you menitoned.

Of course, this is a year and a half later, so perhaps by now, you've actually found the recipe. However, I won't let that prospect prevent me from making a huge mess in my kitchen. I'll be back.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 22 Apr 05 - 01:54 PM

OK. I think I have it. My dough is resting in the Icebox at present but it looks correct. Here's what I used


Sherry Pepper Shortbread Biscuits


3 cups of Bisquick baking mix
(which is similar in nature to Sodabread mix. If you don't have that, just use any good Wheat Flour)
1 and one half sticks American Butter, melted.
(that owuld be 3/4 cup of melted butter)
1/4 cup coarsely ground Black Peppercorns
(ground up in a coffee grinder)
1 cup confectioner's Sugar or Icing Sugar to you UK/ROI/OZ folks
1 cup of sweet Sherry or Port Wine


Mix the ground peppercorns into Bisquick/flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the cup of confectioner's sugar. Then slowly work in the melted butter until the mixtures looks like it is forming pea sized lumps. it will still be somewhat dry. Blend in the sherry just until the mixture comes to form a ball.

Wrap the ball in wax paper and let rest in the regrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigorator, roll out dough, cut with desired size round cutter and then bake as if it were a regular shortbread.


I let you all know how mine came out a couple of hours. The dough tastes like what she described, buttery, not swett and peppery with the Sherry flavor as the predominent influence. You use less butter than normal because of the addition of Sherry as a moistening ingredient.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Apr 05 - 01:39 AM

Aaa aaahh aaaahhhh choo!

That is a LOT of pepper!

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Apr 05 - 11:22 AM

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

This sounds really really close -- if not spot on -- to what I've been looking for.

Some of the other recipes were good, but definitely different. Not what I was searching for.

Bisquick is basically a mixture of flour, baking powder and shortening -- so using plain flour would be different. My tendency would be to use the flour rather than the baking mix because the butter is the fat and the sherry is also a moistening agent. Baking powder would be unnecessary -- shortbread is butter, sugar and flour only -- and the texture of the cookies I'm after is decidedly shortbreadish.

Please post how they came out after baking! I'm going to give this a shot this afternoon unless I need to buy some more sherry.

Thank you for remembering my quest!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Mr Red
Date: 24 Apr 05 - 04:05 AM

there is a ceilidh band called Pepper in the Brandy rather good and disgustingly young.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 24 Apr 05 - 08:25 PM

Well, they came out very, very well. There are none left today.

I prefer using Bisquick in shortbread recipes because there is something about it that just makes the texture that sought-after 'meltaway' texture you think of when you think of good butter shortbread. I don't make that suggestion lightly. I have been cooking professionaly for 22 years and I was once a Bisquick naysayer, but now I find new ways to use it every day. There is not a great deal of leavening in it so you needn't worry about getting puff pastry as opposed to shortbread.

If you don't have access to Bisquick - sifted flour will do fine. The biscuits won't be as tender is all.

Also, don't use throwaway Sherry. I happened to have four splits of very fine Sherry in the cupboard. One needn't get the expensive stuff, but if you wouldn't drink it, don't put it in your biscuits. I ground my black peppercorns by pulsing them in a coffee grinder.

Even though I inlcuded some Confectioner's Sugar, they did not come out sweet. I mentioned to BatGoddess in a PM that if I make them again, I might add ione cup of grated hard cheese such as Double Gloucester or Parmesan.

If anyone tries these, please let me know how they come out. I do some comeptative cooking and I might like to enter this recipe in a contest.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 27 Apr 05 - 03:15 PM

In response to some Emails and PMs, I decided to try these again with LESS Pepper and using regular all-purpose flour, just to see if they came out better. I feel that they came out differently.. no worse and perhaps just a little better in terms of being less spicy and therefore having wider appeal. Stilly River sage had a point about 1/4 cup of coursely ground pepper being a bit MUCH! LOL. I reduced it to an 8th of a cup. Here's the revised version of the Recipe:



Sherry Pepper Shortbread Biscuits - the 'light on the pepper' version


3 cups of All Purpose Flour, sifted
1 and one half sticks American Butter, melted.
(that would be 3/4 cup of melted butter)
1/8 cup coarsely ground Black Peppercorns
(ground up in a coffee grinder...pulse until you like the size)
1 cup confectioner's Sugar or Icing Sugar to you UK/ROI/OZ folks
1 cup of sweet Sherry or Port Wine


Mix the ground peppercorns into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the cup of confectioner's sugar. Then slowly work in the melted butter until the mixtures looks like it is forming pea sized lumps. it will still be somewhat dry. When pouring the Sherry, be mindful of sediment. You may pour it through a Tea strainer to be sure to prevent any sediment from going into the shortbread dough. Blend in the Sherry just until the mixture comes to form a ball.

Wrap the ball in wax paper and let rest in the regrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, roll out dough, cut with desired size round cutter and then bake as if it were a regular shortbread.

I cut mine in to rounds with a 2 inch diameter biscuit cutter and made them somewhat thick. They took 25 minutes at 375 Degrees Farenheit. You want to make sure the tops have begun to turn golden brown before you remove them from the oven. Cool them for about 15 minutes before serving, or cool them completely and store in a tin. They should store well for up to a week in a cool & dry place.

They are quite fragrant and spicy. My Husband, who is not Davetnova, liked them with butter as a snack or, without butter as an accompaniment to soup/stew. This version is milder and probably more appropriate. I hope Batgoddes gets to make some and enjoy them!

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 12:59 PM

I came back to this thread to ammend my recipe a bit. I realize it's 3 years later but I've gotten a bit better at making these biscuits. I still use the following measurements but changed the method and added a little salt:


Black pepper Sherry Biscuits by Dave'sWife
Recipe dediecated to BatGoddess


Ingredients:
3 cups of All Purpose Flour, sifted (can use Bisquick if you prefer)
1 and one half sticks American Butter, softened to room temp and not melted
(that would be 3/4 cup of butter)
1/8 cup coarsely ground Black Peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon of salt (omit salt if using Bisquick)
(ground up in a coffee grinder...pulse until you like the size)
1 cup confectioner's Sugar or Icing Sugar to you UK/ROI/OZ folks
1 cup of very good quality sweet Sherry or Port Wine that has been strained through a fine seive to remove sediment or strained through a paper coffee filter.

I still mix the pepper with the flour & sugar first and then cut in the softened butter with a pastry blender until you get pea sized lumps. I find it works better if you use room temp butter instead of melted. You get a better texture. Some people insist om cold butter for shortbreads and that would be the way to go if you weren't adding alcohol. So, I dribble the sherry in and mix with a salad fork until it comes together.

Then, instead of just patting it into a ball and sticking it in the fridge, I now do the Martha Stweart technique of forming it into a log on parchment or wax paper and then rolling it tight to compact the dough and squeeze out the air. I form the log so that it will fit into an empty paper towel roll core which is about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Roll it as tightly as you can, slide parchment covered log into paper towel roll core and refrigerote for at least one hour or overnight. You can even leave for a day or so.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325 Degrees. take parchment covered log out and remove the paper. Slice into 1/4 inch rounds for a finsihed biscuit that has both the snap Batgoddess remembers and the meltaway mouth feel of a shortbread. Bake in the oven at 325 % for approximately 20 minutes. At 10 mminutes, turn the cookie sheet around carefully to avoid the biscuits in the back getting overly browned.

Since you can't really tell the "done-ness" by color because these are bright pink, you have to go by teime or by your own experience. I think 20 minutes is just about right. I used to bake them in a hotter oven but I like the way they come out better when the temp is set at 325 degrees. When you take them out, transfer them to a cute up paper back to cool or to a wire cooling rack. Store in tins up to a week at room temp.


These can be served along with small meat pies, scotch eggs or sausage puffs for Tea.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Morticia
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 08:32 AM

I'm coming to yours for tea

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 10:18 AM


I currently have an excess of yellow squash and I've decided to make steamed yellow squash pudding today which is a lot like a carrot pudding but no cinnamon or nutmeg, just ginger, allspice and mace. it's even better if you include some chopped crystalized ginger (like sugered ginger, here in LA it's called Ting Ting Jahe and you get it in the chinese market).

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 04:26 PM

Wow!

Tom mentioned first thing this morning that you'd posted a refined recipe. Funny thing, just a couple days ago I printed out another copy of the recipe we used a couple years ago with the intent of getting another bottle of sherry (my booze budget these days is miniscule) so I can make them. Telepathy strikes again!

I prefer granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar in these as well as other shortbreads. I like the texture better. It's interesting -- when I made them from your original recipe, I tried several sizes and thicknesses to see what baked up the best. I rolled out the dough instead of slicing off a roll (hmmm...hope I can cut them consistently thin when I try this) and founded I liked the very thin ones of the smaller size best -- same size diameter as the paper towel roll.

Well, I guess Curmudgeon needs to put sherry on his shopping list for me -- real soon now!

And, since I'm still between jobs after breaking my arm last December, I actually have a bit of kitchen time available (in between physical therapy sessions, exercises, and job search tasks).

Have you written a book on savory shortbreads since we were last in contact?

Thanks again! Glad I could be inspiration for what is a very tasty delight!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 07:24 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bee
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 08:28 PM

Those sound so good. I'm gonna try them, for sure. Perhaps you should name them 'Bat Goddesses' what with the bat-black pepper and the goddess-pink sherry finish. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Jeri
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 08:52 PM

These sound really good, but if I made them, I'd eat them all... or share them. Either way, there's a problem.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 07:16 AM

MY bats (Little Brown Bats) are brown, not black -- but pepper comes in a variety of colors. I'm using black pepper, but sometime I'll try it with other ground peppercorns or even a variety.

Jeri, I think you had some several years ago when I made them and took them to one of Sinsull's gatherings.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 09:39 AM

Part of my message to Morticia got snipped - I must have hit backspace delete. I told her she was welcome to come to Tea at my house whenever she was next in los Angeles!

As for savory shortbbreads, after reverse-enginerring this recipe, I came up with a number of recipes for similarly not very sweet shortbreads including:

Pesto Walnut Shortbreads
Lemongrass Cornmeal Shortbreads
Pine Nut & Shallots Shortbreads
Chedder & Onion Shortbreads (using dehydrated onion bits)
Cilantro & Sun Dried Tomato Cornmeal Shortbreads

and a few more that I never wrote down because they weren't such a big hit.

I agree with Bat Goddess that if you are going to use sugar, and you usually must, there's nothinjg wrong with using a sandier sugar, sayfor example superfine ground. Feel free. The main reason I started using powdered sugar was to avoid any burst of sweetness in the mouth since her memory of the original was that it wasn't sweet at all. Some sugar IS needed get the taste right.

Finally, I have also taken the dough for these shortbreads, and after some brief resting in the fridge, stuffed it into a spritz cookie press with a and piped it out into straws like Southern Cheese straws.

To do this right, you need a very large cookie sheet and you pipe the dough out the full length of the sheet atop parchmenet paper. The baking time is reduced of course perhaps to 12 minutes and you may want the heat to be higher, say 350 Degrees. When done, lift the parchment off the cookie sheet and let the straws rest in order to harden up a bit. When completely cooled, you can pick them up and let them break into irregular lengths or "straws". Store in tins for up to a week.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 10:02 AM

Pinenuts and shallots--mmmmm! I daresay, pinenuts don't go easily through the Mirro cookie press whole. Do you chop the nuts or make those into the craker shapes, not the straws?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 10:08 AM

The pine nut ones I've never made as straws but I do chop the pine nuts anyway. When they are done, I usually put one whole pinenut on the top while they are cooling so it will imbed itself into the cracker/biscuit/cookie round.

The cookie press I use is from Williams Sonoma and it's pretty forgiving if you use the largest nozzle. I've made the Pesto-Walnut Shortbreads as Straws but there again, I chop the waln uts or use pre-chopped walnuts.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 02:27 PM

Oooo... I like the idea of the straws. Now where did I put the cookie press?!? (The one Tom said we didn't have room for?)

I have to check to see which of the other savory shortbread recipes you sent me -- I never had the time to make them (see Appeal Hearing thread). I'd especially like to try the cheddar/onion and the pesto/walnut.

Bottle of sherry is on the counter -- let's see what tomorrow brings. Right now I'm going upstairs to (figuratively) curl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 09:56 AM

By the way, to make cornmeal shortbreads, I substitute 1/4 to 1/4 of the flour with yellow cornmeal and proceed as usual with the recipe. it works particualrly well for the Cilantro & Sun-dried tomato shortbreads/biscuits/cookies/whatever because the combo of cornmeal with those flavors is one you're used to. I then roll the refrgerated log in course cornmeal before cutting for a little extra crunch.

I don't have that specific recipe written down but I'll make some soon and write down the proortions I use and the cooking time.

Before I can do that though, I have some Ricotta cheese i muust use up so I'm going to make a variation on the Kraft Kitchens Cheese Blintz Casserole. Their version never comes out as it was pictured on the Calendar where I saw it. I had to fiddle with it to get it right and of course, I fiddle with it every time I make it! It comes out like what we NYCers used to call 'Jewish Cheesecake" which is to say it has a top and bottom crust and the inside is drier and less sweet than NYC style Cheesecake.

Here's a link to their recipe:
(but keep in mind, it won't look like that unless you mess with it a bit)
Cheese Blintz Casserole

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 09:57 AM

opps, that firstline should read 1/4 to 1/3rd

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:03 PM

The Cheese Blintz Casserole looks like one of those Bisquick "Impossible ___(Whatever)___" recipes that forms its own crust. Baker's Coconut also had a recipe on the package (back in the 1970s) for a coconut cream pie that was sooooo simple and soooooo good that would form its own crust.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 11:51 AM

Actually, the Cheese Blintz things is a little different than those Linn - it really tatses like actual cheese blintzes which is why some of the recipe reviewers on the Kraft site hate it so much - they want it to be a cheesecake and are upset when it doesn't turn into one.

What I do is basically double the amount that forms the bottom and top layer and leave the filling as is with the exception of adding the zest of one lemon and twice the lemon juice. The "curst" is a very thin batter that you have to spread with an offset spatula. Even doublign the amount , it still comes out as a very thin cake-ish layer and by thin I mean maybe 1/8 to 1/6 th of an inch.

So to make it I double the "crust" part, spread half in the bottom of the pan as directed with an offset spatula. Then, to be sure that ity doesn't slosh around when I add the filling, I stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes before adding the cheese filling. Then, once cheese filling is added, back into the freezer this tiome for 15 minutes to harden up the gloopy filling. Then again with the offset spatula and the "crust" batter.

The first time you do the recipe, it won't come out pretty. As you get batter at spready that thin batter on top, it will come out looking like the picture.

It's a real showstopper if you're serving it to NYCers and I speak from experience. they tend to ooh and ah and say how it tastes just like blintzes. if you serve it to npeople expecting cheesecake, they may spit it out.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 May 08 - 11:03 AM

Guess that's another recipe I should try (with your tweaks) -- right up my alley, taste-wise.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: GUEST,LynnT
Date: 04 May 08 - 06:03 AM

Your black-pepper biscuits, served with thin wedges of seedless watermelon, were the absolute hit of a large buffet at a major plant exchange yesterday afternoon, Dave's Wife (sorry, don't know your name). I am thinking of trying the recipe with a bit of whole caraway or coarse-chopped fennelseed added. But mine weren't pink -- I was so disappointed; I wanted to play off the colors of the melon and the biscuits, even using a large green-glass platter with a terra-cotta bowl in the middle for the biscuits. I used Dry Sack sherry -- I think the recipe may work well with vermouth/Dubonnet, which WOULD give the pink color...

Thanks!

Lynn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 04:02 PM

Guest, LynnT - so glad you were able to make use of my ad hoc recipe for batgoddess from several years ago.

I was thinking of making some today and a friend sent me this free download of Martha Stewart Radio's 2011 Thanksgiving Cookbook which contians a Black Pepper & Parmesan "Biscuit" recipe on Page 42 but it's a fluffy biscuit, American-Southern Style and not a crisp biscuit round such as what I whipped up. Here's the linky for those who wish to peruse the recipe and others:

Martha Stewart Siruis Radio 2011 Holiday Cookbook PDF

Next Summer, Lynn, I simply must try your serving suggestion of my own Pink Black Pepper biscuits (I used an aged Madeira port sherry) with wedges of seedless watermelong or perhaps use a melon baller to scoop a round of melon on top. if one wanted to go all fancy, I'd use my smallest fluted biscuit cutter and cut out some thinly sliced, cured ham to go under the Sweet, watery melon. Yummmmy.

Ever since I came up with that recipe, I make these bsicuits for Holiday parties since they make nice nibbles to go with wine & coctails where the only food offered is a Cheese & fruit platter. When made in the size I make them, they stack up nicely in clear Deli plastic containers that I can embelleish with ribbons.

Heck, I'm just glad an old recipe is still in use. Please pass it on and feel free to label it a Mudcat Special by Dave'sWife (who will have been Dave's wife for 15 years very soon!)

Blessings and merriment to you all.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Nov 11 - 01:17 PM

Salu, Dave'sWife!

I haven't been spending much time here at Mudcat for awhile; really glad I checked in today.

Lisa, is your email address still the same? Been meaning to send you a note for some time, but sometimes it's really difficult trying to do that on a moving planet. I also need to make some of the sherry black pepper biscuits again, too, now that I've figured out the perfect amount of black pepper, and size and thinness of the cookie.

You had a project going on savory shortbreads...ever publish it?

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Nov 11 - 11:03 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 20 Nov 11 - 06:35 PM

Well, I'll just have to email her at the address I've got and find out, won't I?

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 29 Jun 12 - 11:29 AM

Bat goddess - I'll message you a link to my facebook page and husband's.

I happen to have a seedless watermelon and have been thinking of making these biscuits again today. I have two small bottles of sharry left from the original gift of expensive sherry and now that I use the tweaks of rolling the dough in a paper tube lined with parchment and refrigoratinbg them first, they come out cripser and can be sliced thinner. If you need to, between bataches, put the dough in the freezer to re-chill. Use a good sharp knife or even a cheese wire to get thin slices.

I did pubvlish some of my recipes and I noticed My Wlanut and Stilton crisp biscuit recipe got pinched by a professional who shall remain nameless. She changed only 2 things. Ah well, so long as people get to eat them, right? I've had a few recipes make AOl's front page of their Food section and I've sold a few to cookbook food stylists who then let the Famous TV chefs put their names on them. Meh, it's change for the purse!

Luv y'all & miss you

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 17 Nov 12 - 05:27 PM

I have started using the very cold butter now instead of room temp butter and using a standard Shortbread preperation instead of a "biscuit" prepartion. The dough will still form into a shortbread dough no matter what temp the butter is at when you combine it with the dry ingredients but the difference takes place after the dough has rested in the refrigorator in the form of a rolled tube.

Just like Martha, I now use an old ppaper towel tube line with greased parchment to help the dough keep its uniform shape. You roll it by hand to the approximate shape, wrap it with the parchment, slide it into the paper tube or mailing tube if you want larger, chill a bitm, take out, rolle it by hand inside the tube until uniform the let it rest. When you take it out, it's nice and prefect for slicing but I slide mine back into the tube between baking batches since I now slice them very thin to bake up crisp. If you use the cold butter method, some of the butter is caught in pockets and melts as it bakes making them even crisper.

A weird non-music thread to keep refinding, I know, but since i whipped these up originally, I have been making a variation on them every holiday and sometimes in the summer too. The Black Pepper Sherry is most populkar followed by Walnut Stilton with a small splash of dry white wine.

Subject: RE: BS: Sherry Black Pepper Biscuits
From: GUEST,LynnT
Date: 18 Nov 12 - 05:00 PM

These are a fave of mine, too -- I took a carved wooden box of them to a French & Indian War reenactment event to pass around the sewing circle, and they disappeared! I did a second batch with caraway and parmesan, and a third with almond flour and a bit of crystallized ginger, very finely chopped -- of course the three kinds were made in different shapes. Dubonnet turns out to produce a nice color, but the flavor is way too strong.

Many thanks, Lisa!

Lynn