BAKING POWDER BISCUITS CHEESE-AND-HERB BISCUITS Makes about 10 biscuits
		INGREDIENTS 2      teaspoons butter, softened plus 8      tablespoons butter, cut into 1/4-inch bits 2      cups all-purpose flour 2      teaspoons double-acting baking powder 1      teaspoon salt 2/3      cup milk Additional ingredients for Cheese-and-Herb Biscuits: 1/4      cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese 1/4      cup finely cut fresh chives 1/4      cup finely chopped fresh parsley INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a pastry brush, spread the 2 teaspoons of softened butter evenly over a baking sheet. Set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and sift them into a deep bowl. Add the 8 tablespoons of butter bits and rub the flour and fat together with your fingertips until they resemble flakes of coarse meal. Pour in the milk all at once and mix briefly with a wooden spoon, stirring just long enough to form a smooth soft dough that can be gathered into a compact ball. Do not overbeat. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll or pat it into a rough circle about 1/2-inch thick. With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into 2 ½ inch rounds. Gather the scraps into a ball, pat or roll it out as before and cut as many more biscuits as you can. Arrange the biscuits side by side on the buttered baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are a delicate golden brown. Serve at once. Makes about 10. Cheese-and-herb biscuits: Following precisely the directions for baking-powder biscuits, prepare the dough and gather it into a ball. While the dough is still in the bowl, knead into it the grated cheese, chives, and parsley. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, then roll, cut and bake the biscuits as described above.