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PHOTOSBYHEATHERSHELTON—THETIMES-STANDARD Irene's buttermilk biscuits are flaky, filling and flavorful. Serve warm with butter and homemade jam. cooking FAMILYRECIPE MyAuntRuth—whowasfromasmalltowninTexas,butlivedmuchofher married life on a farm in the mountains above the Napa Valley — made incredible Southern biscuits. They were flaky, flavorful and filling. She usually served them warm with butter and strawberry jam, along with scrambled eggs, thick slabs of bacon and orange juice. The recipe originally came from my Aunt Irene, Ruth's half-sister. Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to sample Irene's cooking firsthand during a family road trip from California to Mineola, Texas, where most of my dad's rel- atives lived (and many still do). Aunt Irene baked these same biscuits, but served them with gravy and fried chicken for supper. I recently found the recipe for Irene's buttermilk biscuits tucked away in my mom's old recipe book. I was delighted to make them and enjoy recalling great family memories with each bite. I hope you enjoy Irene's biscuits, too. By Heather Shelton hshelton@times-standard.com Nothing beats a basket full of warm, homemade biscuits on a Sunday morning — at least in my book. Southern biscuits are a perfect way to start the day Irene'sbuttermilk biscuits INGREDIENTS 1cup flour 2teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 4tablespoons shortening ½ cup buttermilk DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 450F. Mix flour, baking pow- der, baking soda and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in shortening with a fork until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump the dough (it will be sticky) out on a floured sur- face. With floured hands, turn the dough over a few times to lightly coat it with flour — just enough that it's not sticky anymore. Press the dough out with your hands until it is about a 1/2-inch thick, then cut out circles with a cookie cutter. (I used the top of a drink- ing glass to make circular shapes since I don't have any cookie cutters in my kitchen.) Transfer the biscuits to a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12minutes — or just until the tops begin to turn light brown. Makes 5-6good-sized biscuits. By Nancy Lindahl I'vebeeneyeingthisrosy, finned, incredible beauty out of the corner of my eye on several trips to the pro- duce section. Alarmingly, a rather large pile of them has dwindled to 6 or 7 by the week's end, which can only mean one of three thing: the rest have gone bad and been thrown out to eliminate the fruit flies, or they are a main ingredi- ent in a trending new cock- tail, or they are really good and people in the know are scooping them up. It was time to learn the innersecretsofthebeautiful exotics, or things in the pro- ducedepartmentyoualways roll your cart past and won- der, "What the heck is that and what does it taste like?" Mostarefruits,andcome fromallovertheglobe:New Zealand, Africa, China, Vietnam, Mexico, Central America, Thailand and South America, but most are also grown in Southern California at what must be quite an amazing little ex- otic produce operation. For example the rosy finned beauty — white dragon fruit—growsonacactusin SouthernCalifornia,aswell as other parts of the world. It looks like the prototype forakid'scarnivalride,long arching zig-zag-edged cac- tus parts that form a kind of umbrella skeleton, with whirling red dragon fruits suspended from the tip of each cactus branch. Here's a little informa- tion on each fruit in the bowl from Melissa's Pro- duce, Vernon, California, currentlythelargestdistrib- utor of specialty produce in the United States. Tropicaldragonfruit An exotic cactus fruit that has a delicately sweet and mildly acidic flavor, reminiscent of watermelon, cactus pear, and kiwi. All dragon fruit plants flower atnightandemitajasmine- like fragrance. The fruit it- self is round and its exte- rior ranges in color from a hot pink to red. The in- terior color of dragon fruit ranges from white to pink to magenta. All three types havetiny,edibleblackseeds (very similar to those found inside kiwi). This fruit does notgrowwellinwintercold orsummerheat,soitsavail- ability is limited, making it a highly prized treat. The melon-like texture of the dragon fruit makes it ideal for blending in drinks as well as using in sorbets. Keep refrigerated, unwashed for up to 5 days. To serve, cut in half north to south, and scoop out the white interior. Cube and serve chilled. Dragon fruit, especiallythemagenta-flesh one, is growing in popular- ity as a smoothie addition for its Vitamin C, fiber and gorgeous color. Rambutan The little hairy rambu- tan is closely related to the lychee, and gets its name from the Malaysian word for hair, "rambut." It has a juicy-sweet texture and a flavor similar to a lychee butlessacidic—somewhere betweenastrawberryanda muscat grape with a sweet fragrance. Peeloffthehairy skin to extract the fruit and removetheseed.Selectram- butans that are brownish in color. They should not be peeleduntiljustbeforethey are served. Add at the last momenttopreservethefra- grance in salads. Feijoaor pineappleguava They are the green fruits that look like large limes. The fruit has a juicy, sweet seedpulpandslightlygritty flesh nearer the skin. A fei- joa may be used as an in- teresting addition to a fruit smoothie, and may be used to make wine or cider and feijoa-infused vodka. The flavor is aromatic, strong and complex, inviting com- parison with guava, straw- berry, pineapple, and often containing a faint winter- green-like aftertaste. It is a popular ingredient in chut- ney. Feijoa ripeness is hard to judge, as the fruits remain thesameshadeofgreenun- til they are overripe or rot- ting. A ripe feijoa yields to pressure somewhat like a just-ripebanana.Generally, the fruit is at its optimum ripeness the day it drops from the tree. When the fruitareimmature,theseed pulp is white and opaque. It becomes clear and gelati- nous when ripe. Feijoa comes from south- ernBrazil,butalsogrowsin Northern California, and at one time was the Next Big Thing to grow along with Kiwi. A few growers put in small feijoa orchards, but there are no commercial orchards left in the United States. The best feijoa come from your backyard — so consider planting a bush. Manzanoor applebanana Speaking of bananas, Manzano or apple bananas were nestled in the ex- otic box at the produce de- partment, tiny, green and golden-ripe. Distinguished bytheirsize,textureandfla- vor,applebananasarestout andplump,withathicktaut peel. The light, cream col- ored flesh's texture is firm when young, growing to be tender and creamy when ripe. SWEET BASIL AND THE BEE PHOTO BY NANCY LINDAHL Some of the exotics available now include, le to right, Apple or Manzano bananas, Rambutan, Goldenberries, Feijoa, Pepino Melon, (underneath Ataulfo Mango, organic papaya), Rosy Dragon Fruit, Kiwano Horned Melon and Starfruit. Exotic fruit salad Ma rk et s a re fi ll ed n ow w it h 'what the heck is that?' choices 365-7194 or 365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING 734MainStreet 530-690-2477 11am-9pm Mon.-Thur. 11am - 10pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 9 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP Pizza Restaurant FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, May 11, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4