Housewifery - Cat Head Biscuits
Have you been to the Double J Hacienda and Art Ranch? You haven’t? Then you must go. Spend an evening, a weekend, a month. Relax, enjoy the natural beauty of Texas on the banks of the Brazos River. Listen to the music of Jimmy Baldwin and his friends, have a massage, view the creations of Texas artists, learn yoga from Jane Baldwin! All this and more can be had at the Double J.
The Double J used to be the Seybold Guest Ranch. It’s just off the road leading past the Indian Creek Baptist Church in Mineral Wells, on the east bank of the Brazos River.
A few weeks ago, Raf and I went out there for an evening of art and music…though, of course, the music was art as well! We saw the paintings and collages of Tori Pendegrass and heard the music of Jimmy, Glenna Bell of Houston, and Nancy Apple of Memphis. One of Nancy’s songs inspired me to write the following piece on Cathead Biscuits.
Now I grew up just 42 miles south in Stephenville, and my mother and both grandmothers made biscuits, but I had never heard of Cathead Biscuits. Nancy Apple explained that she was from Memphis and that this sort of biscuit is a “southern”, not “Texas”, thang! Well, now I’ve spoken to a few native Texans, Jim Dillard included, and unlike me, they knew exactly what a Cathead Biscuit was! Gee, was I deprived, or what?
It’s obvious why they’re called Cathead…right? ‘cause they’re the size of a cat’s head, in fact a cat with an unusually fat head!
Mississippi Delta Cathead Biscuits are not cut out or rolled, but rather they are mixed, kneaded, pulled apart into about four handfuls, rolled into lumpy balls, and dumped into a cast iron skillet. Spoon on or brush on bacon drippings, and they are ready to bake in a 350˚F oven for 25 minutes, then broil for a minute or two, until golden brown and crispy on top. They look and sound delicious! They’re meant to be eaten with loads of butter and syrup or honey poured on top.
Now as I have read through references to other recipes for cathead biscuits, I find that the less discriminating cooks use biscuit cutters or drinking glassed and cut their biscuits, but in none of the photos have I seen anything as delicious-looking as those Mississippi Delta ones.
So, ok, here’s a couple of recipes. The first is called “Southern Cat Head Biscuits”.
2 cups all-purposed flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup milk
Heat the oven to 425˚F. Mix the dry ingredients together and work in the shortening with a pastry cutter (or a fork) until it’s in irregular small crumbs. Add the milk and stir with a fork until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface (one article said to use a paper sack) and knead about 12 times. Do NOT over knead! Pat the dough down lightly until it’s about 1/2 inch tick and use a sharp knife to cut 2-inch squares. Place at least one inch apart on an ungreased pan and bake about 15 minutes until puffy and brown.
The next recipe comes from the state of Georgia.
2 Cups Self Rising Flour
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Shortening
1 Tablespoon Butter
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.
Mix the dough and drop a forkful onto the greased cookie sheet. Keep doing this until you fill up your cookie sheet. Leave a small space in between each biscuit. They do not have to look round or neat, and it is ok if they are fairly big. Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Serve with mounds of butter and fresh preserves.
Well, there you have it. Cathead Biscuits. They are surely good enough to eat! So make some!
Do you have some of Grannie’s recipes you would like to share with us? Let me hear from you!!