TOliver wrote:

> Then there's the grandest excuse for a product rarely obtainable in the US
> today, dry cured ham (as in original Smithfield or from places like Burger's
> in Missouri)

Turner hams from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Neighbors of mine.
They produce a few thousand a year and they're wonderful. Salt and sugar
cured, so nowhere near as salty as those others. <www.turnerhams.com>

> sliced translucently as in Serrano or the Italian versions,
> terribly salty unless soaked for a month or two, but on "Beaten Biscuits", a
> keystone of ancient Southren cuisine as in "Spoonbread" and strange
> beverages made with eggs and alcohol.
>
> Then there's the finest excuse for ordering the really extra sharp versions
> of (US) "Cheddar" from Vermont, etc. (or even down at the Wal-Mart or Sam's
> for the "Cabot" brand), "Cheese Biscuits" (which at best have a little
> dosage of garlic powder and a more generous addition of "real" paprika, the
> kind with actual flavor.

Yep.

Pretty good, too, is strawberries sliced and spooned over a split
biscuit. Splash of cream over top.

> .....as with pie crust, lard may be best!

Kin ah hear a AMEN...

Pastorio