Humble Food: Creamed Biscuit Casserole

My last post initiated some major nostalgia. Rice Krispie's treats were invented in the 1920's, but didn't seem to become quite so ubiquitous until several decades later - or perhaps just in my hometown, at least. Where I'm from, I suppose I'm from the Rice Krispies Treats generation - well, actually, recalling the culinary trends of my childhood, I'm probably from a pre-Rice Krispies Treats generation, but we won't go there in fear of triggering a post-birthday crisis. Regardless, Rice Krispies Treats became madly fascinating and trendy somewhere during my childhood. I remember, at a vaguely middle-school-ish age, a time when the creation of a new batch of Rice Krispies Treats was a grand, weekly event. My mom was considered a "cool mom," because my friends and I were always allowed to make Rice Krispies Treats when we had a sleepover, even if it was late on a weeknight and we were supposed to arise early and attend dutifully to our schoolwork the next morning.

Somewhere along the course of events, Rice Krispies Treats drifted out of fashion in our household. Likely my mother had concluded that vegetarian marshmallows still did not exactly constitute health food, and quietly retracted the gooey white squares in favor of the whole grain oatmeal cookies that still remain my favorite treat from childhood. To be quite honest, I'm not a huge fan of marshmallows anyway, and the novelty had probably begun to wane after so many batches of sticky cereal.

Yet three nights ago, when I found myself melting miniature marshmallows for the fiber-filled, cranberry graced marshmallow treat of previous post fame, all the magic returned - all of the memories of the pure, childhood joy of watching fluffy marshmallows gradually transform crunchy cereal into gooey delights. I began to think of other food memories from years ago, and of that innocent time when choosing which movie to watch during the afore-mentioned sleepover truly seemed like a major issue.

When I was very small, before the idea of visiting a restaurant even entered my radar, my grandmother would prepare any meal, any dish of my request for the family on my birthday dinner. For many years in succession, I asked for the most humble of dishes - biscuit casserole. Sometime around either WWI or the depression (the exact details lost in the familial retelling), my grandmother's family came up with a method for turning stale biscuits into an entire meal - simply place the biscuits in a casserole dish, make a cream sauce with milk and flour, and perhaps cheese if you had some, then pour the sauce over the biscuits and bake the whole ensemble in the oven! Voila - biscuit casserole! Perhaps the most economical, if not particularly gourmet, dish conceivable. Yet in my grandmother's hands, the dish took flight - she added a bit of protein, plenty of sharp cheddar cheese, and, honestly, there was little else a small child could find more comforting, especially if one had the privilege of sitting on the counter while Grandma assembled the casserole.

Years ago, when I moved into my own home for the first time, I had some leftover whole wheat biscuits handy and decided to recreate Grandma's recipe, aiming for a more healthful, balanced, lightened version of the dish that heralded my birthdays so long ago... The task was simple, intuitive, and the results... still very humble, but I think my ancestors would be pleased.

Creamed Biscuit Casserole

3 cups skim milk
6 well-rounded tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
7 oz. canned tuna, well-drained OR 8oz firm tofu, crumbled
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, divided
10 whole wheat biscuits
Minced chives, for garnishing

~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray.
~ In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, whole wheat flour, and olive oil. Whisk continuously until the mixture has thickened to a creamy sauce.
~ Remove the thickened milk from the heat, and stir in the tuna or tofu, and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese.
~ Spread a layer of the cheese sauce across the bottom of the baking pan.
~ Slice each biscuit in half horizontally, and place the bottom half of each biscuit in the baking pan, on top of the layer of sauce.
~ Pour half of the remaining sauce over the layer of biscuits, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.
~ Place the remaining top halves of the biscuits in the baking pan, and cover them with the remaining cheese sauce and the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.
~ Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes - until bubbling and golden brown on top.
~ Serve warm with extra cheddar cheese and minced chives, for garnish...

Such a cozy dish goes well with an evening of relaxing... :-)

On the blog this time last year... Double Almond Oatmeal!