By Request Betty Shimabukuro

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Biscuits mimic
Red Lobster’s
secret recipe

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The Cheddar Bay Biscuits served at Red Lobster restaurants are a cross between a cheese biscuit and garlic bread. Served warm, they are addicting.

Raenette Masocol wants to make them herself, and judging by the Internet traffic on this recipe, so do lots of others.

Red Lobster doesn't give out the recipe, although publicist Denise Wilson did share this fact: 200 million of the biscuits are served yearly throughout the chain, which is enough to circle the world 2-1/2 times.

It's a simple drop biscuit with a coating of garlic, butter and parsley brushed over the top. A number of copycat recipes are posted online, all of them based on Bisquick. The differences are mainly in the composition of the butter topping.

I tried the recipe a couple ways, settling on the version below. It's a reasonable facsimile. I also tried a scratch version, using flour, baking powder and butter instead of Bisquick, but it didn't turn out any closer, so may as well take the shortcut.

Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese

>> Topping:
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley, crushed
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet well.

Combine baking mix, milk and cheese. Stir to form a soft dough and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet to form 8 biscuits. Smooth tops and sides of biscuits by pressing with fingers. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until light brown.

Stir garlic powder and parsley into melted butter. Brush over hot biscuits. Makes 8 biscuits.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per biscuit: 220 calories, 12 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein.

Although the biscuit recipe is secret, Red Lobster does share other recipes on its Web site, www.redlobster.com. Here's one for a dish that's always popular: crab cakes.

Maryland Crab Cakes

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon diced celery
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon EACH salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 pound lump crab meat
2 tablespoons oil

Combine all ingredients except crab, breadcrumbs and oil. Gently mix in crab by hand, then add breadcrumbs. Spread a thin layer of plain breadcrumbs on work surface. Form crab mixture into 2-inch balls. Place on crumbs. Gently flatten each ball and round the edges to makes cakes about 1/2-half inch thick and 3 inches round. Refrigerate.

Heat oil in a sauté pan. Gently slide in crab cakes 2 at a time. Brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat and cook another 5 to 8 minutes. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 270 calories, 16 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 170 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 25 g protein.

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Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.