Buttermilk Biscuits & Maple Syrup

It's good to know people who know people in Kensington, NH who bottle their own maple syrup. The bottle I'm nursing was likely tapped in early spring of this year, when the trees give a light amber syrup with a very delicate flavor.

I've been enjoying my delicate maple syrup with a recipe I stole from Jamba Juice's new "breakfast" bowls: plain yogurt, muesli, blueberrys and/or bananas, and a small spoon of peanut butter. A touch of maple and sweetness makes this an awesome meal. As healthy and satisfying as this is, tonight I discovered the PERFECT combination for my grade A light maple syrup: homemade buttermilk biscuits. Against this blank, salty canvas the delicate maple flavor truly stands out without overpowering the buttery biscuit, it's absolutely divine.

I used this recipe from the Food Network, which Matt has made himself once or twice. I used my shiny new empire red stand mixer, and while I usually give up cutting the pastry at about 1/8" = 1/4" morsels I let the mixer bring it all the way to "course crumbs" as the recipe said. I folded it by hand, which was messy and pointless: a large flat spatula does better folding. I also rolled it out, and again felt silly: they did not get enough rise because I'd overworked and compressed the dough. That's what I get for following the directions.

Next time I will leave the rolling pin out of the equation, and will probably try this recipe that uses real butter later this week. I will be using the leftover buttermilk for homemade pancakes and ranch dressing. Yum.