Easy "Red Lobster" Biscuits + Biscuit Mix

Ahhh, Red Lobster!  Such a treat.  

You sit down.

Endure giving your drink order.

Fidget with the menu while glancing surreptitiously toward the kitchen.

Where. are. they?

You glance at your watch.  It's only been 3.5 minutes, but it feels like an hour.

Then.  The Biscuits.

What's the rule?  Do we bless the biscuits?  I don't know if they need blessing, but they surely deserve gratitude.  

Oh, I do thank you, Lord.  

Take one.

Break it open and watch the steam rise.  

Taste it...

The tiniest crunch, then tender bliss.

Your tastebuds do a happy dance, 

and you melt in your seat.

The Red Lobster biscuit.

Imagine my surprise when after about 15 years of experimenting, I finally hit upon an almost perfect re-creation?  The slightly crispy edge, the light-as-air texture, the melt-in-your-mouth melange of cheddar and garlic and what else is in there?  I thought it was perfection in a bite.  HOWEVER, I couldn't get my family's full endorsement: they keep insisting they are "better" than Red Lobster.  To me, that just means "different."  But I digress.  (Gotta stay humble after all). 

Easy {Red Lobster style} Biscuits

2 1/4 cups biscuit mix* (see below for DIY recipe)

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese*  (I prefer medium sharpness.  Can't get it?  Don't despair, alternatives below)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

1/3 cup mayonnaise (secret ingredient #1)

2/3 cup seltzer water (secret ingredient #2...any carbonated water will do)

Preheat oven to 450F.

Stir biscuit mix, cheeses and spices together to incorporate well.  Add mayonnaise and stir gently until crumbly.  Add Seltzer/carbonated water, stir just until dough is evenly moist (will be lumpy).

Spoon 2 inch mounds onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  

Yields 12-14 biscuits (your family will thank you).  These reheat beautifully (if they last that long).

*CHEDDAR LOVERS OF THE WORLD: Can't get cheddar in your corner of the world?  Try another medium-sharpness melting cheese.  When I was growing up in Mexico, we used Manchego for almost everything.  Edam is a good European alternative.

TIP:  Cheddar can be mailed!  If you have to pay $14 a pound anyway, it may be worth it to have family or friends send you some occasionally.  Cheddar cheese (in airtight packaging) does not have to be refrigerated.

Homemade BAKING MIX

6 cups flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt (kosher is best :)

1 cup shortening (make sure it's the kind you don't need to refrigerate!)

Mix cut shorting into dry ingredients until evenly distributed (will be crumbly).  Store in airtight container for up to 6 months.

Click  here  for a full description (and due credit)

NOTE: This recipe makes slightly more dense (and moist) biscuits than my store-bought mix.  When looking for an alternative to "Bisquick" style biscuits, I found that these ingredients matched up the best to my box mix.  I made these into biscuits, as well, and they were yummy!

For Biscuits:

2 1/4 cups mix 

2/3 cup milk

Bake at 450F for 10 minutes

For Pancakes:

2 cups mix

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

COMMENT BELOW what kind of cheese do you cook with when you can't find cheddar?  (Please share your country).