Southern Comfort

Although I spent years in Virginia, I am not a Southerner. My politics and my sensibilities are those of a New Yorker; I could never again live in the South. I love my blue state and will likely never leave it. On the day when gay marriage is being discussed in the Supreme Court, I am proud the state of Connecticut legally recognizes my marital status.

I do though love Southern cooking. Carolina pulled pork barbecue was one of my early favorites. Smithfield ham is a treasure I haven’t enjoyed for years. Greens cooked to death with ham hocks or salt pork takes me back to hot, humid days on the Mall in Washington, DC, during the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. And fried chicken just ain’t fried chicken unless its SOUTHERN fried chicken. (We’ll leave chicken-fried steak out of it for now).

Then there’s Brunswick Stew, fried okra, cornbread, red-eye gravy, pecan and lemon chess pies.

And biscuits.

To me, nothing says Dixie like biscuits. Thanks to a Southern chain, Popeye’s (Louisiana Kitchen), even Northerners get to sample this delicious Southern staple. I make damn good biscuits from scratch, but they’ve never been a match for Popeye’s.

Until today. Today I tried a new recipe that Ransom sent me and I made the best biscuits ever. The recipe claims to be Popeye’s own; whether it is or not, it makes fantastic biscuits. The secret? 7-Up!

Don’t be so surprised. Lots of Southern recipes use Coca-Cola, (Coca-Cola Chicken, Coca-Cola Cake) -- so 7-Up is hardly a stretch.

Here’s the recipe; I recommend it highly.

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7-up

1/4 cup melted butter

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough. Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown.