Last night as I was going to bed, Sam started getting things out to make biscuits…delicious flaky biscuits loaded with gluten. He had the same look in his eyes that I get when he starts imagining what he will make. Sam said goodnight to us at 10:45 pm and told us he was making breakfast.
This morning when I went into the kitchen, there was no sign of any cooking or baking. The kitchen was cleaner than when I went to bed. The dish drainer and dishwasher were empty from last night’s dishes; the only clue he left behind was a ziplock bag with biscuits in it.
After looking around at my sparkling kitchen, I knew I had to make us some gluten-free biscuits. I decided while I sipped my coffee that I would also make sawmill gravy & scrambled eggs.
Normally, we have a quick bowl of yogurt while gulping down our coffee, but I had time since today wasn’t a production day.
If I had to choose two of my favorite breakfasts, they would be biscuits & gravy or eggs benedict. I really miss ordering those in a diner or restaurant; luckily, in our town, we have a new place called Bonnie & Clyde’s Corner Market where I can safely order my third favorite breakfast thing a pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwich. Yum!
So, to be honest, I used a store-bought gluten-free biscuit mix which I wish I hadn’t because they were very dry; it’s a good thing the sausage gravy was going on top of them. While the biscuits were baking, I started my sausage, aka sawmill gravy. I’ve been called the “gravy master,” yes, a shameless pun on the meat browning product. I make really good gravies and sauces. If I could go back to my younger days, I would have loved to have been a Saucier Chef.
From Wikipedia:
A saucier (French pronunciation: [sosje]) or sauté chef is a position in the classical brigade style kitchen. It can be translated into English as sauce chef. In addition to preparing sauces, the saucier prepares stews, hot hors d’œuvres, and sautés food to order. Although it is often considered the highest position of the station cooks, the saucier is typically still tertiary to the chef and sous-chef.
My sausage gravy starts with browning some bulk sausage in an iron pan. After the sausage is nicely browned, I remove it from the pan. Next, I melt a dollop of butter and whisk in some potato starch after the butter has melted. Once the butter and potato starch are bubbling, I add whole milk, kosher salt & black pepper. I add more milk a little at a time if I need to loosen the gravy up a bit. I add the sausage back to the pan and simmer. The gravy is done when it a spoon leaves a separation trail but fills in again. Finally, I taste the gravy to check the seasoning.
I wrote about mother sauces in my veloute post during the wintertime. To make a basic white, gravy, or veloute sauce, the ratio is always 1:1:1. One Tbsp of pan drippings, butter, or other fat. 1 Tbsp thickener of choices such as flour, cornstarch, or my favorite old standby potato starch. Plus 1 cup of milk or broth/stock if making gravies or veloutes. When you need to double or triple, use the same ratio…2:2:2 or 3:3:3 and so on.
When the sawmill gravy was ready, I made some soft and creamy French-style scrambled eggs. I plated our breakfast at the last minute to keep everything hot and yelled to Marty outside, “Breakfast!”
I made enough sausage gravy that Sam could have some for his breakfast before his overnight shift; I know he will be super happy. Yay!
Yes, the biscuits were dry as hell, but it satisfied the craving Sam left me with right before I fell asleep. Dry biscuits aside, it was yummy!