Last night, while most of you were sleeping, I was several libations deep in the sounds of Truth & Salvage Company. While that may or may not interest you (as T&S does rock), what should interest you was my behavior during our little pre-concert tailgate.
You see, the house was filled with people from my past … the type of folks you always feel bad that you don’t see more often. Then suddenly, amongst the bevy of beautiful people, she called to me. It was straight out of a movie, when the nerd spots the hot chick across the room and all things time & space seem to halt. I was that nerd but the object of my desires wasn’t a lady, but rather a piled high plate not wholly unlike the picture above. Thanks to Newell, who shall henceforth be known as Mrs. Biscuit, I was introduced to Callie’s Charleston Biscuits … or as I like to call them miniature crack cakes.
As the proper moniker implies, Callie’s miniature biscuits come from the culinary hotbed of Charleston, South Carolina. However, the biscuits are readily available nationwide thanks to Callie’s mail order service and the handful of markets and grocery stores that stock them.
The story behind the biscuits is fairly feel good. Daughter (Carrie) gleans the wisdom of food from caterer mom (Callie). Daughter decides mom’s biscuits are too good not to share. The two set off to make a name for themselves as biscuit purveyors. Since 2005, Callie’s Charleston Biscuits have garnered a great deal of press. Though unknown to me just 24-hours ago, it seems the national attention has been well deserved.
Each biscuit weighs in at a pintsized 1.6 ounces, but based on my little gorging, I’d say that size most certainly doesn’t matter. Callie’s is best known for their country ham biscuits (pictured), but I was treated to the black pepper bacon biscuits. They were dense and bready, infused with flavor, and definitely not ideal for anyone predisposed to addictive tendencies. Though the words “black pepper bacon” might suggest a very intense bite, the ratio of grain to mixings combined with the small size allowed me to appreciate the subtleties of each “biscuit slider.”
If you care to track down some of these for yourself, there are more than a handful of ways to do so. Fresh Markets’ all over the country stock Callie’s and for those of you in Atlanta, you can find them over in Westside at Star Provisions. However, Mrs. Biscuit told me that Star doesn’t always have them. Regardless, you can also get some biscuits (and a slew of other products) mailed to you via Callie’s product page. I also recommend you spend some time looking through Callie’s recipe blog. Though it’s not updated often, there are lots of appealing recipes to be found. And of course, if you’re into that whole social media thing … you can find Callie’s on twitter and on facebook.
It’s hard to beat a freshly baked biscuit, but a quality buttered bread isn’t easy to find. Even if you fancy yourself a gourmand, I’d be really surprised if you weren’t satisfied by these little treats.