by J. J. Cook
Make rice (if you like) according to directions on package. Serve the gumbo over rice.
You can also serve in biscuit bowls, but use 3 cups of water in the gumbo instead of 6!
Cherry Filling
This filling is fast and really good in biscuit bowls—and in pie, of course!
4 cups pitted cherries
1 cup white sugar or sweetener equivalent
1/4 cup cornstarch
Simmer cherries over low heat about 10 minutes. Be careful not to scorch! Mix sugar and cornstarch together and add to cherries. Return to low simmer and cook until thick, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool before using as filling.
How to Make Biscuit Bowls
I’m sharing my trade secret here for those of you who can’t get to Mobile and get one from me!
2 cups white flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter or vegetable shortening
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse balls. Add the buttermilk until the mixture is slightly wet. Turn the dough out on a floured board. Gently roll or pat dough until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough three more times then carefully press down to about 1 inch thick.
Here’s where the normal biscuit recipe changes for biscuit bowls.
Spray vegetable shortening into a muffin tin. Use a cutter to cut circles of dough. Place these circles into the openings in the tin, pressing down the center gently. Bake for about 10 minutes until brown. The biscuit dough will rise around the circle, leaving a well in the middle for the filling.
The biscuits don’t have to be deep-fried right away, but don’t wait more than a few hours. The freshest biscuits will make the best biscuit bowls. If you can’t use them right away, freeze them for later.
To deep-fry, simply drop the biscuits for 2 minutes into a deep fryer set on high. You want them to be crisp but not greasy. Be sure to use good-quality vegetable oil in your deep fryer.
