Biscuits and Gravy
Submitted by Levinia St. Jean
About the cook: Having spent most of my life overseas, I had the opportunity to experience many different types of food. My parents encouraged me to try sushi and balut (a Filipino delicacy- a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell) as a child. While I didn’t like either at the time, this made me open to the idea of new foods. Unfortunately, moving around and traveling meant that if I fell in love with a dish I had in a restaurant, the likelihood I’d ever come across that particular dish made that specific way again was pretty nonexistent. But I had a solution: I could try to recreate these dishes and I have dedicated many hours doing just that.
About the dish: My favorite meal of all time is biscuits and gravy. I love it not only because it’s delicious, but for me, it has always provided the feeling of something constant. I’m a California-born, Japan-raised, daughter of a retired Marine from Michigan and a mother from the Philippines. I am not a child of the South, and by no means was destined to fall in love with this southern classic. So how did it happen? Christmas morning, every year, for as long as I can remember…
National Origin: American
Serves: 4
Estimated Time: Under 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb breakfast sausage (I prefer sage)
2 12oz cans of evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 TBsp flour
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven according to package, and place the biscuit dough on a cookie sheet. In a skillet (I use cast iron), brown sausage on medium-high heat (approx 3-5 mins). Once cooked, remove the sausage from the skillet and drain. Keep pan on medium-high heat, and pour the flour into the skillet with the leftover sausage grease. Whisk for approximately 2 mins to create a roux. Pour in the evaporated milk, plus one cup of water (I like to use the can for extra flavor). Stir until the roux and the milk are combined and smooth. Add the cooked sausage and leftover ingredients (salt, pepper, crushed red pepper). Once the gravy begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium. **Place biscuits in the oven according to the package at this time.** Stir constantly for 8-10 mins.