Scallion Biscuits

Baking has a reputation for being exacting and finicky - a rigid science compared to the free-wheeling “follow your heart” art of cooking.

And in some ways, that’s true. But in other ways, we give baking way too much flack. Most of the time most things will come out fine. 

Take, for instance, these biscuits. They called for sour cream, of which I did not have enough. But dairy is largely interchangeable! So some buttermilk would do. Of which I did not have any. But dairy is adaptable! Add some vinegar to regular milk, and that’s a solid imitation of buttermilk. (Alternatively, use plain yogurt as a sub for sour cream. I just have more of a love affair with my yogurt, whereas milk I can spare). 

The dairy in this recipe is adding some moisture, a little fat (the butter does the heavy lifting there), and some flavor. Does sour cream accomplish this? Absolutely. Does buttermilk? Also yes. Does milk doctored with vinegar to become buttermilk? ...Yeah! So just stir it on in there. Don’t overthink it and don’t overmix it. (See? Baking can be totally chill.)

Will it be the world’s best ever biscuit? Probably not. There’s a reason the recipe called for sour cream and not a Frankenstein of leftover dairy products from the back of the fridge. But lower your standards to “a really good biscuit” and you will not be disappointed. You’ll probably be quite pleased! 

Better to have baked a pretty decent biscuit than to never have baked at all. 

*Editor’s note - Speaking of being quite pleased, I filmed this Meals By Maeve back in May 2020. I wrote this piece in February 2021. In that time, I bought MYSELF a bigger kitchen. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the episode!)

Recipe from Bon Appétit.