Cook Up Some Comfort Food: Celeb Favorites

Katie Lee's Sage Buttermilk Biscuits

"When I was growing up in West Virginia I was the only child of a single mother, so I spent a lot of time with my grandma. She was always cooking and I loved her biscuits best of all. I would eat them with strawberry jam, molasses, sausage gravy. My favorite way was hot out of the oven with just a slathering of butter. Now when I make biscuits, I add sage to make them savory, but my kitchen still smells like Grandma's."
Katie Lee, author of The Comfort Table

Work: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus 4 tablespoons, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced sage leaves
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl cut the butter into the flour, using a pastry blender or two knives, until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and sage and stir to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Mix with a fork until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the dough just begins to come together.
2. On a lightly floured work surface form dough into a ball and roll to about 1/2-inch thickness. Flour a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or the rim of a glass) and cut out the biscuits. Reshape the leftover dough into a ball, roll it out again and cut out more biscuits; repeat until there is no dough remaining.
3. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and brush with cream. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While the biscuits are still hot, spread some softened butter on top of each one and let it melt. Makes 12.