Callie's Charleston Biscuits

Warm, succulent biscuits, a southern tradition often handed down from mother to daughter through generations, are one of the many rituals we often take for granted. Whether we ate them for breakfast, with supper every night or at Sunday family dinners (like I did), their presence at a meal was a must and they were definitely always made from scratch.

Carrie Bailey Morey, owner of Callie’s Charleston Biscuits and Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, is taking this southern tradition to a whole new level. With her appreciation for her mother’s tender, buttery, made-by-hand biscuits, Carrie set out to introduce the country to her tasty tradition, when she opened Callie’s Charleston Biscuits in 2005, which was named after her mother, Callie White. She and her small team of bakers are keeping the family tradition alive with seven varieties of made-by-hand biscuits that are fully cooked and frozen in signature craft bags. Consumers only have to simply reheat and serve. But wait, Carrie is bringing much more to the table, including her signature made-to-order pimento cheese, and a fiery version for safe measure, South Carolina grits, buttermilk biscuit mix, shortcakes, jams, honey, whole bean coffee, cheese crisps, cookies, bacon, sausage, ham and a bloody Mary mix—everything you need for a biscuit bender! All of her retail items are available for shipment nationwide.

Sound yummy, but in a hurry? Carrie has also created two “grab-n-go” biscuit shops. Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Shops, located in Charleston’s Upper King District and Atlanta’s Virginia Highland neighborhood, are small eateries serving a variety of Callie’s piping hot, award-winning biscuits, pimento cheese sandwiches, and a range of delicious, locally inspired breakfast, lunch and late night treats.

Sounds like Carrie is already one busy lady...but she has a few more “tricks” up her sleeve. Carrie has become nationally-acclaimed, appearing live on the NBC Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, Fox & Friends and QVC and has been profiled twice by The Food Network’s hit television show Unwrapped.

Carrie has authored a cookbook and narrative on life in the Lowcountry,  Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions. The book features Carrie’s modern approach to Southern cooking in recipes that pair classic Lowcountry fare with surprising twists, for delectable results. Her cookbook also features many fundamental southern cooking techniques with new takes on the South’s favorite dishes. We are excited to feature several of Carrie’s incredible recipes from her cookbook and blog. Be sure to log on to www.calliesbiscuits.com or grab her cookbook for even more amazing recipes.

 

 

Pimento Cheese Shrimp and Grits
Makes 4 servings.

"Shrimp and grits have become synonymous with Lowcountry cuisine, and when I meet people from elsewhere, they always want to know my take on it. I put this recipe together one Father’s Day for my dad, a Lowcountry boy who loves his shrimp. Instead of covering up the taste of the fresh shrimp with too many fussy ingredients, this version uses the onion and garlic to enhance the taste of the shrimp, with fresh tomatoes brightening up the whole dish. And, of course, a little bacon drippins never hurts. Just be sure not to overcook the shrimp—that’s what gives them a tough or chewy texture."
-Carrie                  

4 servings Grits, prepared (see note)
4 Tbsps (½ stick) Butter, at room temperature
½ cup Homemade or high-quality pimento cheese (hint, hint)
½ lb. Bacon, sliced
1 pint Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 large Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1½ lbs. Shrimp, rinsed, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Make the grits (see note below). In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the butter and pimento cheese. Keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove from the pan, drain on a paper bag, crumble and set aside. Drain off and set aside half of the bacon drippings from the skillet (about 2 Tbsps) and add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the remaining drippings. Cook on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, then place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through.

Spoon out  the tomatoes and set aside to keep warm. Pour the reserved bacon droppings into the pan, add the shrimp and cook on medium-heat for 2 minutes, until just pink.

Turn the shrimp and return the tomatoes to the pan. Cook a minute or two, until cooked through. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the shrimp and tomatoes over the grits. Top with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions.

Note: When cooking the grits, use the measure of liquid to grits recommended on the package, but use milk instead of water.

Callie's Classic Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes 10-12 biscuits
"This is the recipe that started it all. Sitting in my mother’s kitchen and watching her prepare pans of these highly sought-after, melt-in-your-mouth bites of goodness for her catering business gave me the lightening bolt of inspiration for Callie’s Charleston Biscuits. The beauty of this recipe is that biscuit making can be part of your family tradition. Just save it for a day when a little bit of mess in the kitchen won’t derail the rest of your plans." -Carrie

2 cups Self-rising flour (White Lily preferred), plus more for dusting
5 Tbsps Butter: 4 Tbsps cut in small cubes, at room temperature and 1 Tbsp melted
¼ cup Cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup Whole buttermilk (may substitute low-fat buttermilk)
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position. Measure the flour into a large bowl. Incorporate the cubed butter, then the cream cheese into the flour, using your fingers to “cut in” the butter and cheese until the mixture resembles cottage cheese. It will be chunky with some loose flour.

Make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk and using your hands or a small rubber spatula, mix the flour into the buttermilk. The dough will be wet and messy.

Sprinkle flour on the top of the dough. Run a rubber spatula around the inside of the bowl, creating a separation between the dough and the bowl. Sprinkle a bit more flour in this crease. Flour a work surface or flexible baking mat very well. With force dump the dough from the bowl onto the surface. Flour the top of the dough and rolling pin. Roll out the dough to ½-inch thickness into an oval shape. (No kneading is necessary—the less you mess with the dough, the better.)

Flour a 2-inch round metal biscuit cutter or biscuit glass. Start from the edge of the rolled-out dough and cut straight through the dough with the cutter, trying to maximize the number of biscuits cut from this first roll out. Roll out the excess dough and cut as more. As long as the dough stays wet inside, you can use as much flour on the outside as you need to handle the dough. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet with sides lined with parchment paper or in a cast-iron skillet making sure the biscuits are touching. Brush the tops with the melted butter.

Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 450°F. Bake 16-18 minutes, until light brown on top, rotating the pan once while baking.

Note: You can freeze any leftover biscuits. To reheat, do not defrost. Wrap the biscuits in foil. Bake in a 400°F oven 25-30 minutes. Open the top of the foil for the last 3-5 minutes to brown a little on top.

Grilled Mexican Street Asparagus

"There is something about grilling I can’t get enough of. Launching smoky, flavorful aromas around the block, creating a backyard sanctuary any time of the year is mesmerizing! Asparagus is great because you can grill it, roast it, steam it, and bake it. A fun, delicious way to prepare asparagus in the summertime is what I like to call grilled Mexican street asparagus."              -Carrie

4 oz. Sour cream
¼ cup Mayonnaise
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
⅛ cup Red onion, chopped
¼ tsp Cumin
¼ tsp Chili powder
Zest and juice of one lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup Cotija cheese, shredded
1 bunch Asparagus, cleaned
and trimmed
Olive oil for brushing

Combine the first 8 ingredients and chill to meld the flavors. Brush asparagus with olive oil and grill until charred, just a few minutes! Slather the asparagus with the sour cream mixture

Remove from the grill and top with shredded Cotija. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!

Summer Corn Salad
"This dish is perfect to cool you down from the heat of the summer. We know a thing or two about coping with the heat of the summer in Charleston—activities featuring water and refreshing food! With this corn salad, I like to grill the corn and prepare everything the night before so the flavors can marry overnight." -Carrie
Make 6-8 servings.

8 ears Corn, shucked
½ Red onion, diced
½ to 1 tsp Kosher salt
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsps Lime zest, grated
¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
2 Red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 cup Fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
Juice of 2 limes, plus more if needed
2 Avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced

Steam or boil the corn until tender.

Cool the corn in ice water. Drain and dry well. Use a large knife to cut the kernels from the cobs.

Combine the bell peppers, cilantro, and onion in a large bowl. Add the corn. Season with the salt and pepper and stir in the olive oil. lime zest and juice. Cover and chill to allow the flavors to marry. Taste and adjust for salt and lime juice. Fold in the avocados and serve.

Cast-Iron Fiery Pimento Cheese Dip

“I love pimento cheese because you can do so many things with it. This cast-iron dip is great for entertaining and your guests will be begging for more!”      -Carrie

8-12 oz. Fresh chorizo sausage, casing removed
1 (16 oz.) container Fiery pimento cheese
1 (16 oz.) container Pico de gallo or salsa
Fresh cilantro leaves, optional garnish
Red bell pepper, chopped, optional garnish

Crumble the chorizo into a cast-iron skillet. Using a fork, break up the sausage and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned. If the sausage seems greasy, spoon off the fat.

Stir in the pimento cheese and salsa. Cook over low heat until the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through.

Serve hot from the skillet with tortilla chips.

Note: If you do not like a kick with your dip, we suggest using regular pimento cheese in place of fiery in the dip to tone it down.

Pickled Shrimp for an Outdoor Soirée

"Summer menus are my favorite—everything is fresh and relatively easy to prepare! This is my go to hostess menu. Each of these dishes pretty much can be made ahead of time, which makes you look like the hostess with the mostess! Use this menu as an idea and host your own soirée. Summer is quickly coming to an end, time to send out the invites! Soirée Menu: pickled shrimp, biscuits, boiled peanuts, tomato sandwiches, pimento cheese and crostini, cucumber dillicious sandwiches, corn salad and cobbler."        -Carrie

8⅓ cups Water
Kosher Salt
2 cups Cider vinegar
8 Bay leaves
1½ tsps Celery seeds
3 tsps Crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves Garlic, cut in half
1½ cups Good-quality olive oil
2 lbs. Shrimp, peeled, tails left on, deveined
3 White onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1½ Lemons, thinly sliced, seeds removed
⅓ cups Capers in brine, drained and rinsed

Bring 8 cups of the water and 6 Tbsps salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp and cook 2 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink. Drain the shrimp and let cool.

Combine the remaining ⅓ cup water with all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir and add 1½ tsps salt. Stir, taste, and add more salt if necessary. Add the cooked shrimp, stir, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with toothpicks and enjoy!

 

Mom's Cinnamon Sticks (My Version)
Makes 10-12 Servings

"Sunday brunch at my mother’s has always been a cherished, if wonderfully harried tradition. We’re all talking over one another until we finally come together and sit down to the beautiful table spread with grits, pancakes, tomato pie and stickies. We’re all silent for a moment as we take those first few bites of comfort, home and supreme deliciousness...and then it starts up again! These stickies are one of my mother’s many specialities and an essential element of our Sunday brunches. She never writes anything down, so this is my best interpretation of her recipe."    -Carrie

2 cups Self-rising flour (White Lily preferred), plus more for dusting
⅓ cup White sugar
⅓ cup Light brown sugar, packed
14 Tbsps (1¾ sticks) Butter; 8 Tbsps cut in cubes at room temperature
and 6 Tbsps melted
¼ cup Cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup Buttermilk, plus 1 Tbsp if needed (may substitute low-fat buttermilk)

Topping:
1 cup Pecans, chopped
⅓ cup White sugar
⅓ cup Light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp Ground cinnamon

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and flour generously. Measure 2 cups of flour into a large bowl. Mix in the white and brown sugars. Incorporate the cubed butter and then the cream cheese into the flour, using your fingers to “cut in” the butter and cheese until the mixture resembles chunky cottage cheese. Make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk and, using your hands or a small rubber spatula, mix the flour into the buttermilk. The dough will be wet and messy.

Sprinkle flour on the dough and turn the dough onto the parchment paper. Press into a rectangle. Flour the top generously and roll out to a  ¼-inch thickness, keeping the shape rectangular. Use a pastry brush to brush excess flour from the dough.  Brush the surface with 4 Tbsps of the melted butter.

Make the topping: Stir together all the ingredients. Sprinkle ⅔ of the topping over the dough. With well-floured hands, working from a long side, begin rolling the dough into a log, using the parchment paper to lift and roll the dough. Smooth the dough and keeping it on the baking sheet, freeze for 45 minutes.

While the log is freezing, preheat the oven to 500°F. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet. (If using a cast-iron skillet, no greasing or parchment paper is necessary.) Trim the ends of the log and cut into ½-inch thick slices, using a serrated knife. (Flouring the knife will help cut through the dough.) Lay the stickies flat on the prepared pan. Brush with the remaining 2 Tbsps melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining topping. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake 16-18 minutes, rotating the pan once, until golden brown. Serve warm.

Note: You can make, shape and top these the night before and keep in the fridge to bake in the morning.