The Best Ever (Beer) Biscuits

This is a traditional biscuit recipe, made with beer instead of milk (great for those more likely to have beer in the fridge instead of milk). The beer has leavening properties and gives the biscuits a yeasty flavor.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup shortening, cold (butter will work too)
3/4 - 1 cup beer, room temperature (but not flat) you may not need the whole cup

Yield: 6 biscuits

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal (do not over mix). Gradually stir in beer until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times (do not over knead!). Pat or roll dough out to 1 1/4 inches thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or a glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 13 - 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. If you have extra time, refrigerate the dough (wrap in foil or plastic) one hour, or up to 24 hours, before baking. The extra time will make them puff up a bit more.

Key West Conch Fritters With Coconut Lime Dipping Sauce

This is a very popular dish in the Florida Keys. Serve with Stone Crab Cakes and a Key West Cooler for an island style lunch or dinner.

FOR THE FRITTERS
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
12 ounces tenderized ground conch (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon bottled hot sauce
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups baking mix (your own, Bisquick)
fresh ground black pepper
finely chopped fresh parsley
canola oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE
5 tablespoons fresh key lime juice
2/3 cup sweet cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup minced scallion

ONE DAY AHEAD:

Place bell peppers, onions, and conch in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add celery salt, salt, hot sauce, and eggs. Pulse until smooth. Add baking mix, 1/2 cup at a time, pulsing until smooth and well mixed. Add black pepper to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate overnight.

THE SAUCE:
Place key lime juice, cream of coconut, curry powder, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add scallions and stir with a spoon to combine. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

THE FRITTERS:.
Place oil in a deep fryer and heat to 375°F Using a small ice-cream scoop, drop balls of conch fritter batter into hot oil. Work in small batches, don't crowd fryer. When fritters are golden brown on all sides, remove and drain on paper toweling. Sprinkle hot fritters with finely chopped fresh parsley. Place dipping sauce in a small bowl in the middle of a serving platter and surround with conch fritters.

Smothered Onions

These are very good over meatloaf

1 TB butter
1 TB worchestershire
(can substitue bacon fat for butter/ worchestershire )
Olive oil, extra virgin, about 1 TB
20 crimini or baby portobello mushrooms
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1.5 ounces Scotch or dry sherry, optional
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup half-and-half or cream

Heat butter and worchestershire over medium heat. Add olive oil and the mushrooms. Cover the skillet with foil and nest the foil into pan with a second smaller skillet, smothering the mushrooms. Cook until deep brown and tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove foil, add flour and cook a minute longer. Add in Scotch or sherry, then whisk in the beef stock. Stir in half-and-half or cream and bring to a bubble. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Key West Cooler Recipe

Key West Cooler

1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Malibu® coconut rum
1/2 oz Archers® peach schnapps
1/2 oz Midori® melon liqueur
2 - 3 oz cranberry juice
2 - 3 oz orange juice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin. Shake. Strain into a collins glass 3/4 filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a slice of orange, and serve.

Menu suggestion: serve with Stone Crab Cakes and Conch Fritters

Stone Crab Cake Recipe

This is not my own recipe, but I love it you will too. Here in Florida stone crabs are very popular, especially this time of year. Stone crab season officially opened this week so markets will have fresh claws. You can "catch" stonecrabs yourself, but it is much easier to buy them, the claws are very hard to crack open - let someone else do the work!

This recipe from Joe's Crab Shack is easy (despite the long ingredient list), and fresh stone crab is plentiful right now at your local seafood market (we like Surf & Turf market in Belleair Bluffs).

Joe’s Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Caper Remoulade

Makes six 4-oz. crab cakes

4 oz. jumbo lump crab meat
4 oz. lump crab meat
4 oz. (½ cup) mayonnaise
½ tsp. Joe’s Mustard Sauce (see below)
½ tsp. scallions, chopped
¼ tsp. garlic, chopped
½ tsp. shallots, chopped
Dash Tabasco sauce
½ tsp. lemon juice
2 egg yolks, 1 each
1 tbsp. Panko Bread Crumbs
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch ground pepper
Pinch Old Bay seasoning
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch onion powder

Green Tomato Caper Remoulade

4 oz. mayonnaise
½ tbsp. green tomatoes, diced
¼ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. shallots, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. lime juice
¼ tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp. sour cream

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate.

Mustard Sauce

1 tbsp. Colman’s dry mustard, or to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. A-1 Sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
Salt to taste

Place the mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, A-1 Sauce, cream and a pinch of salt. Mix until well blended and creamy. Chill the sauce, covered, until serving.