Cooking & Conversation: Cranberry-Walnut Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter

I was inspired to make these biscuits from a trip my husband and I made to Branson, Missouri, to celebrate our First Anniversary. We observed our anniversary dinner at the Keeter Center in the beautiful Dobyns Dining Room at College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri.

The Keeter Center

Point Lookout
View of the Ozarks

Our dinner included:

Fried Green Tomatoes
Cranberry Biscuits

Chicken Duet

Mixed Grill Brochette

Special Anniversary Dessert

As our brochure describes it: It is a grand space, An even grander Taste.

The Cranberry-Walnut Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter will be a double dose of flavors for a delectable festive biscuit. The dried cranberries and walnuts with a hint of orange flavor topped with a lavish spoon of orange honey butter are perfect for any occasion. What says fall is in the air more than that? And, these fresh-baked biscuits can transition from your fall table to Thanksgiving or Christmas celebrations with the holiday tastes of cranberries, oranges, and walnuts.

Ingredients:

2 cups biscuit mix (I used Hubie's Biscuit Mix from Edwards Mill at College of the Ozarks)
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. sugar

Alternate recipe:

2 1/4 cups Bisquick baking mix
2/3 cups milk
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. sugar

If using Bisquick, stir all the ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees or until golden brown. Serve warm. (from the Betty Crocker recipes on line, Cranberry-Walnut Biscuits)

This biscuit mix is milled at the college. It is a student industry project,
milled from the finest of natural grains.

Gather the ingredients.

Measure 2 cups Hubie's Biscuit Mix.

Measure and add 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Add 2 tbsp. sugar.

Add 2 tbsp. orange juice.

Add 1 cup cold water.

Mix thoroughly.

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and spoon into 12-cup muffin tin.

Bake 425 degrees for 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with Orange Honey Butter.

Compound butter is a mixture of one or more ingredients added to butter that are used to specifically enhance the flavors of a dish.

Slices or dollops of this flavored butter placed on top of or mixed into a recipe create an instant melty sauce infused with culinary oomph!

“Compound butter is simply pairing ingredients with butter that compliment your recipe!”

(from Homemaking Compound Butter in your Kitchen squidoo.com)

Orange Honey Butter

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 tsp. orange zest
2 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. honey

(this recipe was modified from TastyPursuits.com)

Add 1 Stick Butter, softened to mixing bowl.

Add 1 tsp. orange zest.

Add 2 tsp. orange juice.

Add 2 tsp. honey.

Mix with electric mixer to incorporate well.

Serve with generous dollops over warm Cranberry-Walnut Biscuits.

Cranberry-Walnut Butter

To vary the Orange Honey Butter you can add 1 tbsp. chopped walnuts.

Then add 1 tbsp. dried cranberries.

Mix with electric mixer until well blended.

Serve over warm biscuits.

This butter can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days or frozen up to 2 months.

It can be served as is or can be rolled in waxed paper and refrigerated or frozen,

then sliced into medallions. When stored in 4 oz. jelly jars and frozen,

it can be used for holiday gifts at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The Dobyns Dining Room

The dining room features menu service with seating for 275 guests. It is staffed by student workers. The College of the Ozarks is unique among American colleges because students work, rather than pay, to help defray their educational expenses. Work and agriculture, as well as education, have been important. From its humble farm beginnings, today's students run the farms and serve the freshest ingredients, some of which are grown in campus gardens. Our dinner was created by the culinary staff of students.

Fried Green tomatoes with vine-ripe tomato pico de gallo.

Cranberry Orange Biscuits with Apple Butter.

Chicken Duet
Half chicken prepared two ways: the breast lightly marinated with honey, mustard and spices; the leg and thigh, rubbed with barbecue spice and smoked with hickory. Served with mango catsup, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and garden vegetables.

Mixed Grilled Brochette
Marinated sirloin, thick campus bacon, handcrafted sausage with garden onions and peppers, served with polenta and chimichurri sauce.
(Menu description from Keeter Center Online Menu)

Our Special Anniversary Dessert created especially for us.

Tour of the Campus

Edwards Mill
Student workers grind whole-grain meal and flour available for purchase. The mill is powered by a 12-foot water wheel turned by runoff water from nearby Lake Honor.