Showing posts with label Opry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opry. Show all posts

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Good Night, Mr. Scruggs, and thank you for the biscuits

We were sorry to hear the news that Earl Scruggs passed away yesterday; as a family we are big fans of Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, as well as Scruggs on his own after the split. Emily had hoped he would hang on just a few years longer so she could hear him play live! She became a huge fan of the whole band when we started watching the Flatt & Scruggs show in Netflix last year. Here's a short clip of Earl in prime form:


The Flatt & Scruggs show (which was one early version of the Grand Old Opry, sponsored by Martha White Flour) is fantastic -- I'm not sure how much of it is actually available, but there are several volumes available on amazon, and the first 8 volumes are streaming on Netflix.


But to be honest, the biggest impact Earl Scruggs had on our household is in the kitchen. We heard that a biscuit recipe of his had been printed for many years by Martha White, and I finally tracked it down in their cookbook. We made it just for fun...but it actually is the best recipe I have ever used -- just look at the results!

Earl Scrugg's Biscuits

Biscuits are a regular feature on our table; sometimes as a side but honestly, most often as dinner (with sides of homemade sausage and a lot of honey and syrup.)

Earl Scrugg's Biscuits

The recipe has been replaced on their site with a new version that uses crisco and is now just called "famous" biscuits so here's how I make it:

Earl Scrugg's Famous Buttermilk Biscuits

First, melt 2 T of butter and set aside, and preheat oven to 450F

You will need 2 cups Self-Rising Flour OR
2 cups flour + 1 T baking powder + 3/4 t salt
To that add 1 t sugar and whisk (or pulse in a food processor)
Add 1/3 cup butter, chilled and cut up and either pulse in processor or cut in with pastry cutter until the mixture looks mealy.
Add 1 c buttermilk and stir in until it's shaggy looking. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth (don't be afraid to sprinkle extra flour in there); roll out to 1/2" and then cut into rounds. Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 12-15 minutes. When golden brown, remove and brush with melted butter. Put on some Foggy Mountain Boys and enjoy.
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