the arugula files

Fig, Thyme, and Andouille Sausage Pizza

The other day I spotted a box of figs at Whole Foods.  Yes, they were from California.  Yes, I still wanted them.  Yes, I bought them.  Go ahead and judge me.  I'm at the point in winter when I'm over apples that are totally past their peak and I am craving blood oranges and pineapple.  Strawberries too.  I can't take it any more. After making my case to a small jury of lemons and limes, I convinced myself that my carbon footprint was relatively impressive.  So I bought the figs with pizza in mind.  A pizza that I had a Liberty Tavern that still takes up space in my brain and makes my stomach growl. 

Biscuit-Palooza: Cream or Lard? Cream Biscuits

Here's a critical question: which is better for making biscuits--cream or lard?  This question--the great debate, so to say--is the focus of biscuit-palooza.  The challenge: find a great biscuit recipe that isn't too complicated, and produces biscuits that taste buttery, salty, flaky, and yummy in my tummy.  To find the answer, my friend Jeff and I embarked on an epic journey.  We tested three different recipes: one with cream, one with Crisco and butter, and one with butter and cream.  All of these recipes had different prep difficulty ratings, which I will discuss.  There's no time to waste.  Let's get started.