There are a three secrets to making successful biscuits. 1. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty. Mixing with a spoon overworks the dough. Your hands keep things delicate. Plus, all that squishing and making a mess is fun. (Or put the kids to work. They'll love it.) 2. Keep your butter cold. This ensures plenty of rise, rich flavor, and delicate layers of puffy biscuit. 3. Add lots of cheese. I mean LOTS. Because cheese is good. Follow these steps and I promise you perfect biscuits every time. These biscuits only take about five minutes of active work and 12-16 minutes to bake. This means you can whip these babies up in no time flat for picnics, last minute guests, or dinner parties. The cut up biscuit dough can be frozen in an airtight container and stored for a few months. This means that if you want to double or triple the recipe and save some aside for quick baking later you can. Just plop them on a tray, sling 'em into the oven, and sit back.

2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
dash cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons baking powder
7 tablespoons butter, cold
2 scallions, finely chopped
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
Kosher, Maldon, or Black salt for topping (not table/iodized salt)

Note: I prefer Parmesan and plenty of black pepper for these, but feel free to substitute cheddar, feta, or your favorite blue cheese. Instead of scallions you can use chives or olives. This recipe is merely a guideline to making perfect cheese biscuits.

2 cup s + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons baking powder 7 tablespoons butter, cold 2 scallions, finely chopped 3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese 3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Preheat the oven to 425F. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cayenne, black pepper, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2 Dice the butter into small pieces. If they get too warm then place them in a bowl and put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before continuing. Toss the diced butter with the flour mixture until well coated. (Again, if into tossing the butter gets hot in your hands place the whole mixture in the freezer for a few minutes.) Add the scallions and cheese and toss until well coated.

3 Add the buttermilk and mix with your hands until it just comes together. You may find you need an extra dribble of buttermilk, if so then go right ahead but do so judiciously. Do not over-knead.

4 Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead once or twice; no more. Form into an 8x8-inch square and cut into 2x2-inch squares and top with a bit of high-quality salt if using. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 16 biscuits