Recipe featured in the May 2025 issue of Our State. Read more about Chris Coleman and how he attributes his cooking philosophy to his grandmother.
Chris Coleman’s grandmother Marlene McDonald made biscuits at least a couple of times a week: “This recipe is more about technique than anything else, as it is so simple,” he says.
Yield: 8 to 9 biscuits.
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 ¾ cup self-rising flour, plus more if needed (Chris prefers White Lily)
1 ¾ cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 425°.
Grease a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet, using the stick of butter to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
Add flour to a bowl. Using a box grater, shred the remaining butter into the flour.
Gently pinch the butter into the flour with your fingers, stirring to ensure a uniform mixture.
Using a large spoon, gently stir the milk into the butter-flour mixture, taking care not to overwork the dough and develop unnecessary gluten. Be efficient and challenge yourself to combine it all in as few strokes as possible.
The dough will be very wet. More flour can be added in spoonfuls until the mixture is still wet but will hold together when scooped.
Use the same spoon to drop biscuits into the prepared pan, giving each biscuit 1/2 inch of space between. You should have enough dough to create 7 to 8 biscuits around the sides of the pan, and one in the center. Rinse the back of the spoon, then use it to press down and flatten each biscuit, forcing them against each other.
Bake in hot oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown on top and crunchy on the bottom. Remove biscuits from oven and turn broiler on high. Place biscuits under broiler for 2 minutes, or until top is darker golden brown and crunchy. Remove and serve immediately.
photograph by Stacey Van Berkel
Chris Coleman’s grandmother filled her laundry room shelves with simple preserves like these. If you don’t want to process the cans in boiling water, you can refrigerate the preserves and use within 5 days, preferably on warm biscuits.
2 cups fresh figs
1½ cups sugar
1 3-ounce box strawberry-flavored gelatin
Lightly pinch each fig to slightly split it. Combine with sugar and gelatin in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 6 minutes for a light, syrupy preserve, or 10 if you want a thicker preserve. (Maw Maw always had a lighter, syrupy preserve.) If you intend to can these preserves, follow canning instructions. Otherwise, transfer to a container, refrigerate, and eat within 5 days.
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