Biscuits and Gravy

I am a keep busy kind of person. I love being on the go, always having a project, always havin somewhere to be. Taking the kids to lessons, the park, or birthday parties, shopping, running errands, rearranging the furniture, organizing the kitchen, cooking, planning, writing, taking photos, visiting friends, seeing family…. I love it all.

I tend to over commit myself, and while it makes me a little harried from time to time, the secret is that I really don’t mind all that much. Being busy keeps me going. 

But every once and a while even I love having a totally not busy day. Especially if that happens to land on a Saturday. I love sleeping a little late (if the kids will let me). I love sitting in bed with Charlie and savoring a cup of coffee. I love puttering around the kitchen and whipping up a special breakfast for Charlie and the boys. 

Biscuits and gravy happens to be one of my favorite breakfasts for relaxed Saturday mornings. I ask you, is there a better relaxed morning breakfast? I think not.

The recipe for Sausage Gravy is totally simple. No seriously, it is not at all hard to make. Sausage Gravy happens to be forgiving ingredient wise. (What do you have on hand? Breakfast sausage, Italian sausage? Cream and milk or just half and half ? Guess what it all works, use it!) It lends itself to spur of the moment adaptation. (Fresh herbs, cheese, toss em in!) It never gets boring. 

Now, I admit, getting a really good biscuit is a little bit more of a fussy process. Though I think after you nail it the first time, you’ve got biscuits down for life. I’ve included a really killer buttermilk biscuit recipe in this post (one of the same one that posted last week, actually)  with all the tips to make your biscuits turn out great; but I will also mention that if I’m not in the mood to deal with biscuits on my lazy Saturday morning, I totally use frozen biscuits, to perfectly good effect. In fact, secret: the biscuits in the photos? Totally frozen biscuits. So you know, go with what works. Regardless of whether or not you scratch make your biscuits, Biscuits and Gravy always tastes amazing.

I’m pretty darn sure you’ll enjoy this wonderfully easy recipe just as much as my family and I do! Long live the lazy Saturday.

Buttermilk Biscuits– Yields 8 Biscuits Adapted, barely, from Divas Can Cook. 

• 2 cups White Lilly All Purpose Self Rising Flour (Yes you really should use THIS brand of flour it’s the best and will give you the best biscuits ever. I don’t usually care about brands, but in this case it does make a difference. If you don’t have White Lilly, you can use a different brand of self rising all purpose flour, if you must.) 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark works fine)
• 6 tablespoons butter, really, really cold (like stick it in the freezer for a few minutes)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, really, really cold (again stick it in the frezzer)
• 1 cup of buttermilk, really, really, cold (Keep it in the fridge until ready to use. Also, see notes for a good trick if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand.)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream really, really, cold (Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.)
• additional melted butter for brushing the tops of the biscuits

1. Make sure one oven rack is in the upper center position and preheat the oven to 450*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. In a large bowl add flour, salt, and brown sugar. Use a wire whisk to mix well, being sure to break up the brown sugar. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mix, and use a pastry blender or two forks to blend the butter and shortening in. Work as quickly as possible to keep the ingredients cold. You want to end up with with mostly chunks of butter about the size of a large pea; completely coated in flour when you are done. Some of the chunks of butter should be a little bigger, up to about the size of a small grape. If the butter starts to melt at all while you are working place the bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes until re chilled. The flour should look pebbly when ready.
3. Add the (cold!) buttermilk and cream to the bowl. Mix using clean hands that have been well coated in flour until a very coarse, shaggy wet dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well floured center top. Gently fold the dough together a few times, incorporating a little bit of the flour from the counter into the dough to form a more cohesive dough. Shape the dough into a loose flat rectangle about 1inch thick. Fold the dough over on itself in thirds (much like laminating dough for croissants) the gently flatten the dough back into a rectangle. Repeat twice, ending with a rectangle about 1 inch thick. 
4. Use a biscuit cutter (use a small glass or canning ring if you don’t have a biscuit cutter) to cut out 8 biscuits. Cut using a straight down motion with no twisting, as twisting will seal the edges of the biscuits and prevent rising. Try to cut as close as possible to avoid scraps. (You can push the scraps together to create one extra small biscuit if desired, though note that it probably will not rise as well as the other biscuits. Though it will still taste great.) Place the biscuits in two rows, just touching, on the prepared baking sheet. Use your thumb to gently put a small indent in the top of each biscuit.
5. Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes until golden. Brush with melted butter right after removing from the oven. 

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, take one cup of milk, add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice and let it stand at room temperature for five to ten minutes, until it curdles slightly and thickens. Return the milk to the fridge to chill before using in the recipe. 

Sausage Gravy– Serves 4-6

• 8 cooked Buttermilk Biscuits
• 1/2 lb sausage (Ground breakfast sausage, Italian, it all works!)
• 1 and 3/4 cups milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream -OR- 2 cups half and half
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp granulated garlic powder
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste 

1. Brown sausage in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. When fully cooked through drain off any excess grease. 

2. Whisk the flour into 1/2 cup of the milk (or half and half). Add to the sausage pan. Add the rest of the milk and cream (or half and half to the pan). Add the garlic as well. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until gravy has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, though I recommend starting at 1/8 tsp for each. Stir well to incorporate the seasoning. 

3. To serve, split biscuits in half and place on a plate. Top with a generous scoop of gravy.