Amp Up Your Biscuits With These Three Easy-To-Make Toppings
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<br/><br/>Yesterday we <a href="http://gothamist.com/2013/11/14/skip_the_hype_and_make_your_own_dam.php">showed you the ropes</a> for making biscuits at home, and while there's absolutely nothing wrong with topping your fresh-from-the-oven biscuits with a few pats of butter, the humble biscuit can be elevated even further with some fancy—but simple!—spreads, jams and fruit compotes.<br/><br/>Bourbon Fig Compote adds smokey, boozy flavors to your biscuits while Raspberry-Chipotle Jam gives your taste buds a kick in the butt from fiery peppers in adobo. For extra creamy goodness, heap on a dollop of Ricotta-Goat Cheese Spread then combine with either of the two fruit dishes for maximum biscuit domination. <strong>Click through on the photos for the recipes.</strong><br/><br/>Sweets aren't really your thing? Stay tuned! Next up we're tackling every southerner's favorite gut-busting breakfast: Sausage Biscuits and Gravy.
<br/><br/><strong>Bourbon Fig Compote</strong><br/><br/>Let's get the bourbon fig compote started first because a) it will take the longest to prepare b) you can basically ignore it once everything goes into the pot and c) you can start drinking sooner. Hooray! <br/><br/>Boozy, sweet, sticky—there are many things to like about this hearty compote but the best part is <strike>drinking while you make it</strike> it's super easy to make. If you can't find fresh figs in your market, sub in rehydrated apricots, prunes or other dried stone fruits, which should be readily available, especially in the winter. This recipe was created for biscuit topping but it's by no means limited to slathering on your baked goods; serve some alongside roasted chicken or pork or spoon a dollop on some vanilla ice cream or yogurt. <br/><br/><strong>Ingredients</strong><br/><br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="817389" style="display: inline;"> <div class="image-none"> <img alt="111113figprep.jpg" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_nellcasey/111113figprep.jpg" width="640"/> <br/> <i> <span class="photo_caption">Woodford FTW (Nell Casey/Gothamist)</span></i></div> </form><br/><br/><ul><li>8 ounces fresh figs, quartered and with stems removed</li><li>1/2 cup dark brown sugar</li><li>1/3 cup bourbon (you can sub rye but don't go throwing Johnnie Walker in there)</li><li>1/3 cup water</li><li>2 tablespoons lemon juice</li><li>1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns</li><li>1/4 teaspoon whole cloves</li><li>1 fingertip-sized knob of fresh ginger (more if you can take the heat)</li><li>pinch kosher salt</li></ul><br/><br/>You'll want to create a (FANCY COOKING WORD ALERT) <em>sachet</em> to house the whole spices because it's a maddening task to find all those little buggers once the jam has congealed and it's also not sexy to bite down on a whole peppercorn and break your tooth. Luckily, sachet is just a fancy word for "tiny little cheesecloth bag," so calm down. Cut a square of cheese cloth, place the peppercorns, clove and ginger inside, then tie with a string. Congratulations! You are one step closer to a James Beard Award.<br/><br/>Next: dump everything into a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir it around a bit, then ignore for the next 20 minutes. Well, not really. Since we're working with sugar—and sugar loves to burn you when you're not paying it enough attention—you'll want to check in from time-to-time to make sure the liquid hasn't evaporated too much (if so, add a bit of water) and that the sugar is gently caramelizing as opposed to scorching your pot.<br/><br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="817392" style="display: inline;"> <div class="image-none"> <img alt="111113figpot.jpg" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_nellcasey/111113figpot.jpg" width="640"/> <br/> <i> <span class="photo_caption">Sexxxy sugar booze fig party (Nell Casey/Gothamist)</span></i></div> </form><br/><br/>Once the figs have softened nicely you should be able to macerate easily with a potato masher or a fork. By then, most of the liquid should have evaporated, leaving a nice, sweet glaze over all of the fig bits. Remove your bundle-o-spices and discard. Compote can be served hot, room temp or chilled and will keep for a few days in a tightly-sealed tupperware if you want to make it in advance.
<br/><br/><strong>Raspberry-Chipotle Jam</strong>Like the figs from the previous slide, this recipe couldn't be simpler to make. Assemble ingredients, dump into pot, try not to burn it, serve. The sweet, tart raspberries are the perfect foil to the smokey, spicy chipotle peppers; this isn't your grandmas jam (unless your grandma was rad and loved spicy food).<br/><br/><strong>Ingredients</strong><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="817948" style="display: inline;"> <div class="image-none"> <img alt="111413raspberry_prep.jpg" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_nellcasey/111413raspberry_prep.jpg" width="640"/> <br/> <i> <span class="photo_caption">(Nell Casey/Gothamist)</span></i></div> </form><br/><br/><ul><li>6 ounces fresh raspberries</li><li>1/2 cup granulated sugar</li><li>1/3 cup water</li><li>1/2 or 1 full chipotle chile pepper in adobo (I used a full chile plus some of the juice but I'm a spice freak)</li><li>pinch kosher salt</li><li>lemon zest (optional)</li></ul><br/><br/>Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and syrupy. Transfer to a serving vessel and top with lemon zest.<br/><br/>Like I said, pretty simple, eh?
<br/><br/><strong>Ricotta-Goat Cheese Spread</strong><br/><br/>As with the jam, this "recipe" is basically just a dump-everything-in-a-bowl operation and mix to combine. If you have an electric hand mixer or one of them fancy Kitchen Aid things (jealouuuuuuus) your spread will be even more fluffy and airy. If not, it's still goddamn delicious. The tang from the goat cheese gets mellowed out with the addition of barely-sweet ricotta; adding the oil thins out the mixture so it's even more spreadable, while honey adds an extra touch of sweetness to balance out all the dairy.<br/><br/><strong>Ingredients</strong><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="817950" style="display: inline;"> <div class="image-none"> <img alt="111413cheese_ingredients.jpg" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_nellcasey/111413cheese_ingredients.jpg" width="640"/> <br/> <i> <span class="photo_caption">(Nell Casey/Gothamist)</span></i></div> </form><br/><br/><ul><li>4 ounces goat cheese/Chevre</li><li>3/4 cup ricotta cheese</li><li>1 teaspoon honey</li><li>1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil</li><li>pinch kosher salt</li><li>fresh pepper to taste</li></ul><br/><br/>Allow the goat cheese to sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so to come to room temperature. This step isn't necessary, per se, but it will help everything incorporate much easier, especially if you're mixing by hand.<br/><br/>Toss all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. You may want to add more salt and pepper, if you like something more savory; or extra honey if you're aiming for a sweeter mixture. <br/><br/>Serve immediately at room temp or refrigerate if you make in advance.