Glazed Cranberry Biscuits —rsquo; A Warm Thing to Set Beside the Roast

The sap turned by Friday — the buddy off-flavor in the last batch, the signal that the season is over. I packed up Saturday — buckets washed and stacked, spiles pulled and rinsed, the pan emptied and scrubbed, the firebox raked. The total for the season was nine and a quarter gallons, slightly better than last year, a successful run. The notebook was updated. The cellar shelves received the new cases. The closing of the sugarhouse takes a day if a man is methodical about it, and I am methodical because the alternative is to pay for sloppiness next March.

Made a pot roast Sunday — beef chuck, carrots, onions, red wine, the slow oven for four hours. I ate it at the table by the window and watched the south side of the house begin to show real ground for the first time, the daylilies pushing their first green tips through the mulch. The light in late March in Vermont is the most generous light of the year and is one of the small reliable consolations of the season.

Anna called Sunday evening. The garden in Brattleboro is mostly mapped out — peas, lettuce, radishes, kale, herbs, no tomatoes the first year as I had recommended. She and Marcus have been spading the bed for an hour each evening after work, breaking the ground that has not been gardened in the previous owners' time. I told her: a first-year bed asks more of you than a tenth-year bed. Be patient. The soil will improve. She said: I know. We talked about garden things for an hour. The granddaughter asking about garden things is one of the small late returns on a long gardening life.

The pot roast carried most of the meal, but I wanted something to soak the pan juices — something with enough substance to earn its place on the plate. I’ve made these glazed cranberry biscuits a half-dozen times through the winter, and the tartness of the cranberry against the sweet glaze is the kind of contrast that holds up next to red wine and braised beef. They take about thirty minutes start to finish, which is the right amount of effort for a Sunday when you’ve already put in a long day at the sugarhouse.

Glazed Cranberry Biscuits

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2–3 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until evenly mixed.
3. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the flour mixture with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Do not overwork.
4. Add cranberries. Stir the chopped cranberries into the flour-butter mixture, distributing them evenly.
5. Mix wet ingredients. Stir the vanilla extract into the milk, then pour it over the dry mixture. Stir gently with a fork just until the dough comes together — it should be shaggy and slightly sticky. Do not overmix.
6. Shape and cut. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Cut with a 2-inch round cutter or drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing biscuits about 1 inch apart.
7. Bake. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and the bottoms are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before glazing.
8. Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk a little at a time if needed to reach a pourable but not runny consistency.
9. Glaze and serve. Drizzle the glaze over the warm biscuits. Serve immediately alongside a roast or on their own.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 195 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 33g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 195mg