Flash in the Pan

Biscuits and gravy is an old, and great, southern breakfast. This version adds a bit of bite through the chorizo sausage.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chorizo sausage
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk, heated until warm but not scalded
• 8 biscuits (I have a buttermilk biscuit recipe here)

Directions

1. Prepare four plates. For each, split two biscuits and place the halves, split-side up, on the plate.
2. Cut the chorizo into 1/4-inch slices. Don't worry if the sausage begins to crumble or the slices start to come apart.
3. Over high heat, place to sausage into a 10-inch fry pan. Cook for two minutes.
4. Sprinkle flour over sausage slices and cook another three minutes.
5. Add milk all at once and stir mixture until flour dissolves. Continue stiring until the mixture comes to a boil and the gravy is thickened.
6. Pour gravy over each set of biscuits.

Serves 4.

Labels: biscuits, breakfast, recipes

I've been fiddling with my biscuit recipe for years. Here's the latest, and best, version.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose power
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 Tbsp. Sacco buttermilk powder (note, you can omit this, substituting buttermilk for the water when added in the recipe)
• 5 Tbsp. butter, cold

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Add water slowly, mixing until all dry ingredients are damp and dough loosely holds together. Dough should be wet.
5. Turn dough out onto well-floured board and knead for about 30 seconds. Instead of traditional bread kneading motion, fold dough in half, press flat, and repeat.
6. Roll dough out approximately 3/8-inch in thickness, then use biscuit cutter or cup. Take scraps, form into new ball, roll out to 3/8-inch thickness, and cut additional rounds. Place biscuit rounds on ungreased cookie sheet with at least 1-inch separation.
7. Bake biscuits for approximately 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Labels: biscuits, recipes

Those used to professional baking recipes will doubtless be familiar with using powdered milk instead of the liquid variety. In baking breads, I've taken to this practice. But I've always used liquid buttermilk when I needed that ingredient, and have never even liked soured milk as an alternative. I was surprised when my wife and I found SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend on a local grocery shelf. We picked some up and I gave it a try last night in biscuits. It was a pleasure and added the flavor I wanted (though I couldn't figure out where I had put the baking soda, so had to make do with baking powder). According to the web site, what you get these days as real buttermilk in cartons is actually cultured skim and not the byproduct of butter making. The company's web site touts the qualities of the results. I can't speak to the long term keeping (biscuits go within a day in this house), but I did like the texture of the results. Four tablespoons - rated as having 80 calories - is the amount you need for a cup of buttermilk, which is significantly less than whole milk. I automatically mixed the powder with the other dry ingredients, as I would with milk powder - and which is the approach the company suggests. The only inconvenience I see facing us is that after you open the container, it's supposed to go into the refrigerator. But then, I have a feeling it won't smell as bad as one of those buttermilk containers that you buy for a cup worth and then forget you have sitting around. Here's the biscuit recipe:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 TBL. sugar
4 TBL. buttermilk blend
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
4 ounces butter, softened
water

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.
   
2. Thoroughly mix dry incredients.


3. Cut in butter until you get a coarse meal-like consistency.


4. Add just enough water to hold dough together.


5. Knead dough on a floured surface for about 30 seconds. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch rounds.


6. Place rounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
   

Labels: baking, biscuits, buttermilk, powder