My first encounter with biscuits and gravy was, unfortunately, not a positive experience. During a family vacation to Florida while I was in junior high, we stopped at a breakfast buffet in a state I would have considered “the South.” While perusing the buffet, I was presented with a pan of pale gravy near a stack of delicious-looking fluffy biscuits. My mother and I both decided to try the biscuits and gravy since we knew it was a southern classic. Unfortunately being poorly versed in southern cooking, we had mistaken the pan of corn grits for country-style gravy. I don’t really recommend corn grits over biscuits as a culinary treat. Later, we discovered the sausage gravy on the other side of the pan of biscuits. I don’t recall if I even tried the biscuits with the gravy once we found it; the grits fiasco was just too traumatic. Later in life, I have come to appreciate corn grits, although I prefer them to be a bit sweetened, more like corn bread. Biscuits and gravy, however, rapidly became one of my favorite meals once I tried it with the correct topping.
Over the years, there have been many styles of biscuits and gravy in my cooking experience. When I was in high school, biscuits and gravy meant a tube of Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits and an envelope of Jimmy Dean powdered sausage gravy mix. I enjoyed that, but I always wanted fluffier biscuits like in a restaurant. My first foray into the world of made-from-scratch biscuits started with a biscuit recipe I happened to see on KFC’s website. The resulting “biscuits” tasted fine, but the texture more closely resem-bled a hockey puck than the fluffy, crumbly biscuits I was wanting. This is when I learned that how the dough is handled is just as important for biscuits as having the right ingredients. After two decades of practice, I can finally turn out a nice, fluffy biscuit nearly every time.
Finding a better gravy recipe was not as difficult. I used a recipe from a package of Hormel Little Sizzlers sausages and tweaked the spices to my liking. I was happy with that recipe for many years. Unfortunately Hormel Little Sizzlers sausages have been impossible to find for a few years. As a result, the recipe needed to be adjusted substantially to utilize a chub of Jimmy Dean sausage, thus bringing my gravy recipe full circle back to good ol’ Jimmy Dean.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
2¼ c. flour
½ Tbsp. salt
1½ Tbsp. sugar
1½ Tbsp. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk
½ c. vegetable shortening
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder into mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening with a wire pastry blender until pea-sized crumbs form. Add buttermilk and mix lightly by folding over repeatedly until a soft dough forms. Do not over mix. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board (if the dough isn’t holding together, press it out flat with floured hands and fold again, repeating until the dough can be rolled). Dust the dough lightly with flour and roll to half-inch thickness with a rolling pin. Cut into biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter. Fold the remaining scraps together, flouring the work surface if necessary, and reroll to half-inch thickness to cut out more biscuits. Place biscuits on a baking sheet and bake 10-13 minutes. Brush lightly with melted butter 2-3 minutes before the end of baking. Makes about 12 biscuits.
When cutting out biscuits, press the biscuit cutter straight down, don’t twist, and try to avoid handling the cut edges of the biscuits as much as possible. The more you touch the cut sides of the biscuits, the less the biscuits rise to that fluffy desired height. If you prefer to make drop biscuits instead of rolling them out, stir the dough slightly longer until the dough holds together well and drop by spoonful onto the pan.
Corn Grits for the Midwest
Ingredients
2¼ c. flour
½ Tbsp. salt
1½ Tbsp. sugar
1½ Tbsp. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk
½ c. vegetable shortening
Directions
Bring milk, water, butter, salt, and sugar to a rapid boil. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for six minutes, stirring frequently.
Southern-style grits are usually savory and can be topped with bacon or cheese. I like grits to be a bit sweeter instead and topped with butter or honey. I really don’t prefer grits over biscuits.
Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
1 lb. roll breakfast sausage
8 Tbsp. butter
½ c. flour
2-2/3 c. milk
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. ground mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. sage
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions
In a large pan, crumble sausage and brown. Remove sausage into a separate bowl, leaving grease in the pan. Add butter to the pan with the remaining sausage grease and melt over medium heat. Add flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add seasonings. Add milk approximately a half cup at a time, stirring until thickened after each addition. Add cooked sausage back to gravy after two to three additions of milk. Heat to a low boil over medium heat, adding additional milk to reach desired consistency.
