Pork Chops & Chicken

Sausage Gravy And Buttermilk Biscuits

This whole post probably belongs on ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com.

It all started with some sausage I needed to cook up. One of the things I love more than life itself is soul food and southern food. I make a mean sausage gravy. It's so easy to make too. So, sausage gravy is what I decided to make with this extra sausage on hand.

The story of these buttermilk biscuits goes a follows. Josh Velazquez, one of the former Chefs of Bukowski's in Cambridge, Ma. and formerly of Deep Ellum in Allston, Ma., once challenged me to a biscuits and gravy competition. We talked shit to each other for about 3 years. We never actually had the competition, but when he moved to Deep Ellum, they had biscuits and gravy on the menu. They were good, but my gravy is way better. His biscuits however, beat the ass out of mine.

For some reason I couldn't make biscuits anymore. I used to make them all the time. I moved to Colorado for a couple of years and still made them good even in the high elevation. When I came back to the east coast something happened. They came out like pathetic dried up hockey pucks. It was a devastating blow to a Southerner like myself. If you can't make good biscuits, you might as well not even live.

It turned out that my baking powder was stale. I had no idea that it could "deactivate" if you will. I blame myself for not being a chef and knowing about these things.

So, he kindly gave me his recipe to try. I have had this recipe now for about a year and haven't made them before. They came out perfectly on the first try. Now I cannot be stopped. No one can beat me, not even your mama's recipe. Not even my mom who taught me how to make sausage gravy.



Josh Velazquez's Buttermilk (Drop) Biscuits

3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup to 1 1/2 cup buttermilk



In a bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda.



Blend in butter. The texture should be like cornmeal when done.

Side Note: I always nuke my butter for a few seconds so it's nice and soft for blending if I didn't have time to let the butter set out at room temp. for a while. I also used my hands for mashing the butter and flour. It's the best way to do it.



Add buttermilk and mix until combined.



Drop 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup on to a greased baking sheet, so as the biscuits touch each other.

Side Note: I didn't put mine next to each other in the pictures because I thought they might expand. They ended up just fine that way.

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. (About 15 to 20 mins. in my case.)




And now for the good part, my sausage gravy.



This whole recipe is a give or take method. I will give you about measurements but you really need to play with it. It's different every time I make it. Sometimes the sausage yields me more grease, sometimes not enough. I use more milk sometimes or more flour. So play with this as you make it. This is basically an eye ball recipe.

1 16oz tube of Jimmy Dean Sausage. Regular or Sage.

1 1/2 cup milk

1 cup all purpose flour

Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Brown your sausage on medium heat in a skillet.

 

Remove sausage from skillet and place in a bowl. Leave on the side for now.

Leaving all of the left over grease from the sausage in the pan, reduce heat to a low medium. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk constantly. Continue to add flour and milk until you have a nice creamy base.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Side Note: The reason I have heavy cream listed on the recipe is because once you whisk your base you might find that you need more liquid for the gravy. Heavy cream is a nice way to add more liquid and make it extra creamy. You can reverse this recipe as well to use heavy cream as the milk and use the milk at the end to give it more liquid when needed.

It is awesome when you use heavy cream that way for sausage gravy. But since this recipe probably already has 2000 calories per serving, the heavy cream version will clog your arteries and you will feel you heart begin to slow as you eat it, but it will be worth it. It tastes amazing.

 

 

 

Once your base is nice and creamy and has begun to thicken, turn off the heat on the stove and add the sausage to the gravy.

That is it. That is all it takes. You are now ready to top your biscuits, serve and enjoy.

 

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

I stumbled on to this nifty little recipe a few weeks ago and have been anxious to try it since I love key lime anything.

It's a strange recipe that calls for lime jello and lemon extract. I was cautious about that, until I made it. It does taste exactly like key lime pie.

In this recipe I actually meant to use real key lime juice. My little earthy, hippy grocery store down the street usually has it. This time they gave attitude and said they probably wouldn't be carrying it ever again. Ahhh okay Mr. Bitter produce man.

I refuse to buy key lime juice online too. It's effing expensive. At least as far as I have looked. If I can't get it at my local stores I will go without. It's hard though. If anyone knows a cheap supplier of key lime juice, I am all ears.

So with the absence of real key lime juice, this recipe calls for lime juice with some lemon extract. It seems a shoddy substitute, and it is for the purists, but it really did end up amazing like key lime pie and very tasty. So don't front when you see the ingredients. The only issue is the name of the recipe, It shouldn't be called "truly" when there is no key lime in it.

Truly Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract (optional) Don't make this optional.
  
• 1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
• 6 whole graham crackers

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, milk, and heavy cream.

Cook until warm, whisking frequently. Once the mixture is hot to the touch, whisk in the gelatin mix and sugar, stirring constantly until sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved.

Whisk in the egg yolks, and remove from the heat.

Stir in the lime juice and lemon extract.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. This recipe takes a bit longer to set up than the usual ice cream. 

Side Note: I tried putting the warm mixture into my Cuisinart and it did nothing but spin because it melted the ice in the maker. Notice the steam in that second image. I saved my mixture and chilled it down and refroze my ice cream maker. The mixture did not curdle as I suspected it might with the lime juice and cream. For me, it was just fine and the cooled mixture churned nicely.

Also this recipe yielded more than my little ice cream maker was ready for. I saved the left overs and churned them the next day. Monitor your mixture make sure it doesn't curdle or separate. Be mindful that the jello in the mixture doesn't start to solidify.

Once the ice cream is thick, open the canister, and place large pieces of graham cracker evenly on each side. They will break into smaller pieces as the machine churns. Mix for about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a freezer container, seal, and freeze until solid. I like to use 1 gallon resealable freezer bags.

Side Note: I did not put graham crackers in my ice cream as it churned. I used them for garnish later on. And I used containers not plastic bags, though if you have a full freezer, they might not be a bad idea.

Derby Day At The 'Booms

My husband and I celebrated the Kentucky Derby at some good friends house this past weekend. The 'Booms. Tyler and Sara Hougaboom. Our good friends, the Michiganders.



We didn't know shit about the horses or who was favored to win, it was all about the mint juleps. We had Eagle Rare, Sazerac, and Wellers on hand. A couple of those and everything was alright.

Tyler had planned to make some pizzas for the occasion. While I don't have the recipe, I managed to catch some food porn pictures. Enjoy!



Tyler's man arms! Work that dough!

 

Fresh mozzarella. Or "Mootzarelle" if you are a purist.

 

Prosciutto, basil, and sauteed mushrooms.

 

The sauce.

 

Toppings.

 

Meat and Veg.



Cheese and over time.

 


 

We also enjoyed a nice selection of cheeses, an aged gouda, a local blue, and some boucheron. As well as some homemade white bean dip with garlic made by Tyler. Good job 'Booms!!