The Pioneer Woman Cooks Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Ree Drummond
make the cake. Sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Mmmm…smells like the holidays.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
7. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and splash in the buttermilk. Stir until just combined. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.
8. Now throw in the mashed prunes. And if your honey walks in as you’re completing this step, shield the bowl with your body and stir quickly. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
9. Pour into a buttered baking pan and bake at 300ºF (a low temperature) for 35 to 40 minutes. Grandma Iny was adamant: do not overbake the cake. You want it to be nice and moist.
10. When the cake has about 5 minutes left to bake, make the icing: combine the sugar, buttermilk, butter, baking soda, corn syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
11. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. No need to stir.
12. Continue boiling until the icing turns a light caramel color, 5 to 7 minutes. Important: The icing should be the color of caramel, but not yet firm and sticky. It needs to be pourable.
13. Pull the cake out of the oven. Try not to faint, as it smells absolutely divine.
14. While the cake is very warm, pour the icing evenly over the top. Work fast, as it will quickly start to soak into the cake.
15. Spread to coat evenly…then please, do yourself a favor: lick the spatula. It’ll make you smile.
Serve immediately, or feel free to let the cake sit on the counter for a while before serving. It only gets better with age.
I just loved my Grandma Iny. Aside from being a dear lady, she’s brought many a culinary joy into my life—not the least of which is this magnificent creation. Enjoy!
HELPFUL HINT: Serve without revealing the fact that the cake contains prunes.
Our creek at sunrise
BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Makes 18 to 24 biscuits
Biscuits are tricky, and everyone has a different idea of what makes a good one. My grandmother used to make drop biscuits, which were lumpy and varied in shape. My mom made biscuits that were small but very light and airy. Marlboro Man prefers biscuits from a can.
I prefer a biscuit that’s relatively light, but not skyscraper-tall. I like to be able to taste the outer, crispy surface of the biscuit. Of course, you’ll have some degree of control over the thickness of your biscuits by how thick you roll out the dough. Keep that in mind and experiment to find your own special biscuit thickness.
These biscuits are perfect with softened butter and homemade strawberry jam, served with butter and honey alongside Fried Chicken (Supper), or with Chicken-Fried Steak and gravy (Supper) as an alternative to mashed potatoes. The biscuits are also basic enough to be halved and topped with syrupy strawberries and sweetened whipped cream for a quick strawberry shortcake.
4 cups all-purpose flour1½ teaspoons salt2½ teaspoons baking soda1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 / 3 cup shortening 1 / 3 cup cold butter (51/ 3 tablespoons), cut into pieces1¼ cups buttermilk (if you don’t have any, see In the Morning)
1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir together.
3. Add the shortening and cold butter pieces.
4. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined.
6. The biscuit dough will be sticky, not overly dry or crumbly.
7. Lightly flour a clean surface. Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll to a 1/ 3 -to ¾-inch thickness, depending on how thick you’d like your biscuits to be.
8. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter and place them in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. (If you use an old, beat-up biscuit cutter, your biscuits will taste much better. That’s what I like to tell myself.)
9. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until golden brown; do not underbake or the
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
7. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and splash in the buttermilk. Stir until just combined. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.
8. Now throw in the mashed prunes. And if your honey walks in as you’re completing this step, shield the bowl with your body and stir quickly. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
9. Pour into a buttered baking pan and bake at 300ºF (a low temperature) for 35 to 40 minutes. Grandma Iny was adamant: do not overbake the cake. You want it to be nice and moist.
10. When the cake has about 5 minutes left to bake, make the icing: combine the sugar, buttermilk, butter, baking soda, corn syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
11. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. No need to stir.
12. Continue boiling until the icing turns a light caramel color, 5 to 7 minutes. Important: The icing should be the color of caramel, but not yet firm and sticky. It needs to be pourable.
13. Pull the cake out of the oven. Try not to faint, as it smells absolutely divine.
14. While the cake is very warm, pour the icing evenly over the top. Work fast, as it will quickly start to soak into the cake.
15. Spread to coat evenly…then please, do yourself a favor: lick the spatula. It’ll make you smile.
Serve immediately, or feel free to let the cake sit on the counter for a while before serving. It only gets better with age.
I just loved my Grandma Iny. Aside from being a dear lady, she’s brought many a culinary joy into my life—not the least of which is this magnificent creation. Enjoy!
HELPFUL HINT: Serve without revealing the fact that the cake contains prunes.
Our creek at sunrise
BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Makes 18 to 24 biscuits
Biscuits are tricky, and everyone has a different idea of what makes a good one. My grandmother used to make drop biscuits, which were lumpy and varied in shape. My mom made biscuits that were small but very light and airy. Marlboro Man prefers biscuits from a can.
I prefer a biscuit that’s relatively light, but not skyscraper-tall. I like to be able to taste the outer, crispy surface of the biscuit. Of course, you’ll have some degree of control over the thickness of your biscuits by how thick you roll out the dough. Keep that in mind and experiment to find your own special biscuit thickness.
These biscuits are perfect with softened butter and homemade strawberry jam, served with butter and honey alongside Fried Chicken (Supper), or with Chicken-Fried Steak and gravy (Supper) as an alternative to mashed potatoes. The biscuits are also basic enough to be halved and topped with syrupy strawberries and sweetened whipped cream for a quick strawberry shortcake.
4 cups all-purpose flour1½ teaspoons salt2½ teaspoons baking soda1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 / 3 cup shortening 1 / 3 cup cold butter (51/ 3 tablespoons), cut into pieces1¼ cups buttermilk (if you don’t have any, see In the Morning)
1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir together.
3. Add the shortening and cold butter pieces.
4. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined.
6. The biscuit dough will be sticky, not overly dry or crumbly.
7. Lightly flour a clean surface. Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll to a 1/ 3 -to ¾-inch thickness, depending on how thick you’d like your biscuits to be.
8. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter and place them in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. (If you use an old, beat-up biscuit cutter, your biscuits will taste much better. That’s what I like to tell myself.)
9. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until golden brown; do not underbake or the
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