Big Fluffies (Buttermilk Biscuits)

The weekend is a flurry of shopping and cooking because Nancy - one of Drew's oldest and dearest friends and now a new but dear friend of Raul's - and her partner Bruce are coming over for a BBQ. Nancy usually hosts dinners and they are always spectacular and lavish so Raul is feeling the pressure. 

Raul decides to go with the tried and tested: a cheese platter, steak, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and a lemon meringue pie. He also decides to add Drew's Mom's potato salad and bean salad to give an extra summery kick to the proceedings. All easily organized except for finding the perfect steaks to satisfy all the carnivore cravings. R&D have many ingredients to pick up and every grocery store in the neighbourhood is visited and the meat is found lacking in all. The decision is made - which should have been made in the first place - to go to Ellas Meat Market on Pape just below the Danforth. Not only is the staff at Ellas friendly and chatty - Raul and the handsome young butcher who helps choose the steaks have a long, and possibly unnecessary though entertaining, discussion about Drew's unfortunate taste for well done steaks, the butcher likes to "be able to mop up the blood on the plate with bread" - but the steaks are perfection, cut to the flawless specifications that Raul always hopes for and seldom receives, and considerably cheaper than any of the other outlets visited in the morning. "We should have come here in the first place," repeats Raul with a contented smile. 

The steaks cook perfectly - Drew even consents to medium well and grudgingly admits that the flavour is better - and a fine time is had by all. Despite hearty appetites there is a lot of meat left over - the steaks were cut and trimmed that generously - and the next day Raul creates a hearty stew for recovery day. And what goes best with stew? Biscuits.

Drew's Mom is an expert at baking in general and biscuits specifically. Her biscuits are not only a family favourite but also the preferred, above all else, dining experience of the dog. He will shamelessly beg for her biscuits and his ears perk up whenever it is suggested that there is a visit to the "Tea Biscuit Lady" pending. Upon arriving at Drew's Mom's the dog races through the front door and sits facing the fridge in his classic "please feed me" position. 

Raul fires off an email request hoping she will share her expertise and Drew's Mom replies in minutes: I have no secret recipes, I love to share. Enjoy!

3 c flour (I use a combination of whole wheat and white)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3 T white sugar (the original recipe did not call for this)
3/4 c butter or margarine (I use Becel Original)
1 c buttermilk (if I do not have I put a T of lemon juice in a cup of milk and let stand)

Combine all the dry ingredients Add the butter or margarine and combine well - a food processor works well but I use my mother's little hand - can't think of the name at the moment but I will show you when you are here. You probably know what I am talking about, in fact you probably have at least 3 :)
Add buttermilk and combine to moisten the flour mix. Knead briefly.
Pat out to desired thickness, about 3/4", cut with cutter, bake 400'F for 10 - 15 minutes. You may or may not need to butter your baking sheet. (Raul uses parchment paper)
The original recipe also said that you could drop the dough by spoonfuls on the sheet.

The stew - a recipe for another time, this is all about the biscuits - is delicious and the biscuits sop up every droplet of gravy. And yes the dog is very very happy and heartily approves of Raul's first biscuit batch.

Sirloin Tip Steak, Greek Potatoes, and Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto

The grey skies have turned into a downpour but the steak was rubbed - simple coarse ground black pepper and a sprinkling of Mrs Dash - yesterday and is at its prime eating potential. "I don't know about bbq'ing in the rain," says Raul.

"We can always just broil it," says Drew.

"That would be wrong on so many levels," insists Raul. But upon venturing out onto the balcony he reconsiders. "There's a lake on the bbq side of the balcony. We may have to broil after all."

Drew investigates and then commiserates on the terrifying quarter inch deep and maybe a foot square puddle. "We'd better broil. I wouldn't want you to drown. Or I could run over the dollar store, I have been out twice already in the rain with the dog, and get a pair of water wings. Or are you afraid of melting?"

"I'll wear a raincoat," compromises Raul. Dinner is early today because Drew has a reading in the early evening so there isn't time to wait for the skies to clear or the balcony flood to recede.

The asparagus is blanched for five minutes before being dunked in cold water to stop the cooking. It is wrapped in prosciutto (that Drew ran over to Food Basics - in the rain - to pick up, along with more photogenic hamburger buns just in case the steak is postponed again) and is ready for bbq'ing.

The Greek potatoes have been in the oven for four and a half hours. "You can never cook them too long," insists Raul. "Best to have them soft and flavourful on the inside, crunchy on the outside." The recipe Raul favours can be found here: food.com/recipe/greek-potatoes-oven-roasted-and-delicious. Raul proudly uses authentic, "And the best," Krinos Pure Greek Oregano ($2.25 for a large 85 gram jar at Adventures in Cheese, 377 Danforth Ave) and garnishes with fresh chives from the balcony garden that Drew harvests, in the rain.

"Do you need steak sauce?" asks Raul. "It's a little overdone but I was thinking of you." Drew is not much of a carnivore and is physically unable to eat meat that is still bleeding even though he knows that is the proper way to enjoy a fine slab of flesh.

"No thanks," says Drew. "It's deliciously peppery. And done perfectly."

"And the asparagus has been perfectly salted by the prosciutto," says Raul with contentment.

And Mickey paces while he waits, with his usual utter lack of patience or manners, for the inevitable bits of steak pushed to the side of the plate for him.