Restaurant Widow

Sausage Biscuits & Gravy

I was waiting on this table the other day, and at the table was a woman from San Francisco.  A Columbus man was telling her about biscuits and gravy, and how tasty this breakfast is.  The woman was completely flummoxed "so, you just eat a bowl of gravy?" she said.  "Well," the man said, "you have biscuits, too."  "But really, it's just a bowl of gravy."  No amount of explanation could make this woman understand why anyone would be waxing nostalgic about a bowl of gravy.

Being a good little daughter of the Amish, and a good Midwesterner, I love biscuits and gravy.  And, like most comfort foods, this is far more than the sum of its parts.  This was my first try at making my own gravy (I'm a whiz at pan sauces a la minute); I was afraid of roux-making, but it turns out it's pretty easy, and very rewarding indeed.

I know a lot of you are deathly afraid of baking, but I want you to try it.  I used a scone recipe here, with a few modifications, and the recipe is easy.  At least once, resist the urge to blitz everything in the food processor.  Just use your fingers, just this once.  I think it's good to get your hands into the flour and rub the butter in on your own.  Especially with a soft-as-silk flour such as While Lily; the flour is always so cool and soft, I love it. 

So, I used a scone recipe from Sam over at Becks & Posh (I figure a Brit should know her scones, right?) Get over the idea that a scone should be filled with nuts and sugar and chocolate chips.  It's really just a yummy biscuit.  My modifications were as follows: I actually prefer unsifted flour in biscuits, so I just stirred the soda, powder, and salt into the flower before adding the cream; the first time I made this recipe, I used homemade creme fraiche and water, as instructed in the recipe.  This time I used 2/3 cup heavy cream - fattening, to be sure, but if you're making this recipe, we know you aren't concerned about that for this one recipe.  I actually liked the all-cream version better; the scone turned out a little less dry.  Also, I washed the tops with 1 egg yolk mixed with a tsp of water and 1/2 tsp salt, which infuses the biscuit with its own saltiness - good with gravy, butter or jam, I promise.

This is the timing for this breakfast: preheat the oven, put the coffee on, and make the scones.  While they are in the oven, get on with the gravy making.  You should be almost finished with the gravy by the time the biscuits come out (about 16-17 minutes) of the oven, piping hot and ready for gravy.

Sausage Gravy - serves, um, 2 in our household and probably 4 in everyone else's

8 breakfast sausage links (the little guys - Oink Moo Cluck has a yummy variety) I guess about a pound
rendered bacon fat, lard, olive oil, or butter, as needed (no, I'm not joking)
flour - start with 1/4 cup, but have more ready
milk - 1 - 1 1/2 cups
brewed coffee - 1/4 cup
water - up to 1/2 cup
lots of freshly-cracked black pepper - no substitutes, please!!
salt and hot sauce to taste

Brown the sausage.  You don't have to remove the casings, because they are usually soft enough to cut through.  Cut the sausage with a wooden spoon while it is browning.  When the sausage is finished browning nicely (I like it really brown and nice, so that it retains its texture in the gravy) and is cooked through, you should have quite a bit of leftover fat in the pan.  I didn't have enough, so I added about 2 T rendered bacon fat.  Sprinkle the pan very liberally with flour and stir it in completely; repeat once or twice, until all of the flour has been absorbed by all of the fat.  Stir this mixture for about 2 minutes to brown the flour a little bit (congratulations, you have just made a roux).  There shouldn't be any flour visible. Add a little milk and stir; bring to a boil and add a little more milk, stirring very well to be sure the flour is being absorbed.  Add the coffee and stir it in.  Continue to add milk and water - adding water if the gravy is getting too thick until you have reached the desired liquidity.  I know it isn't the most exact recipe, it's more of a feeling.  I like mine nice and thick, more of a porridge-y consistency, but others might like theirs soupier.

If your sausage hasn't broken up into small enough pieces, you can blitz the gravy - carefully, now, it's hot! - with a stick blender.  This will also help mix the flour in if you start to get lumps, but if you stirred the flour into the fat, and continue stirring over a light simmer, you won't have lumps.  I promise, it's really easy once you start stirring.

Add a ton of freshly cracked black paper, a little salt, and a few dashes of hot sauce (I used Sauce Cartel's Burn In Love, which is really hot but blends in nicely, when used in small doses, and adds just a pinch of mystifying heat).  Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Serve with scones and more pepper and hot sauce.  Follow up with a brisk walk.

Lazy Market Lunch #3

At the suggestion of the farmer from Northridge Organics (Worthington Farmer's market), where I bought my lamb chorizo, I made scrabled eggs with chorizo.  It was really tasty, and one sausage goes a long way, with its spice and rich flavor - I used half of a sausage for three eggs, but 1/4 would probably be enough.  I used the super-slow French method of omlette-making, where you stir the eggs constantly over low-medium-low heat so that you get really soft, creamy scrambled eggs.  Can you believe how yellow they are?!  The yolks in these Toad Hill Organics eggs are so orange, they are amazing.  And, the other day I had a HUGE egg with two enormous yolks inside.

Brown the chorizo and strain off any fat.  Drain the chorizo on paper towels.  Crack 3 eggs into a nonstick pan, break the yolks and stir everything together.  Add the chorizo back to the pan, along with a handful of chopped chives; stir over medium low heat until they are creamy and have reached desired doneness.  I sprinkled mine with some chive blossoms, because they are delicious.

I ate this delciousness with some taste spread with Lake Erie Creamery soft goat cheese. 

Lazy lunches #1 and #2.

Omelet with Shitakes & Goat Cheese

I don't typically go for the cheese and egg combo.  It took a lot of omelets for me to discover this, for some reason.  But the other day, I stirred some of that Lake Erie Creamery chevre into my scrambled eggs and I thought "hm, maybe there's something to this cheese and egg thing."  This omelet is made with entirely local ingredients.  Well, to be true, I used olive oil to brush my pan, but I could have used some of my Amish butter or some rendered bacon fat.  Once again, I know the prevailing school of thought is that eggs should be only slightly cooked, and while I agree with that as far as yolks are concerned, I just like my omelets overcooked.  Call me crazy - you can cook yours however you like.

Omelet with Shitakes & Goat Cheese - serves 1

Olive oil, butter, or bacon fat
3 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems removed and tops slivered
3 medium eggs, or 2 large eggs, whisked lightly
1 ounce Chevre (soft, fresh goat cheese)
Salt & Pepper
Snipped chives

Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add a pinch of olive oil.  Add your mushrooms and saute until they are soft and tasty; season with salt and pepper.  Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.  Wipe your pan with a paper towel and return to the heat.  Add a pinch more fat and pour your eggs in.  Swirl the pan, tipping it so that uncooked egg parts run to the edges.  Lift the cooked edges to let the uncooked bits run under.  Cook to desired doneness - maybe still jiggle in the center (shiver).  Then add the mushrooms back to the pan, only putting them on half of the eggs.  Crumble the goat cheese over the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked pepper, and fold the omelet in half.  I like to leave it in the pan just moment or two, to let the cheese melt slightly.  Top with the chives and serve.  Maybe with toast or fruit.

Local sources for this recipe: these eggs came from my CSA, but there are loads of good local eggs available at area Farmer's Markets, Weiland's, and Whole Foods.  Shitake Mushrooms from Toby Run Mushrooms at the North Market Farmer's Market, Lake Erie Creamery Chevre is available in Columbus from Curds & Whey in the North Market.  Snipped chives came from my garden!

Oatmeal - Give it Another Try

Nothing instilled fear in my heart as a child like waking up to the smell of oatmeal cooking (sorry, mom).  I don't know if it was the horrid texture or the fact that Dad thought we should eat it straight (sorry, dad), I simply hated it.  For a brief while, however, when I was a starving college student, I ate a lot of instant oatmeal.  These days, there's just no telling what they're putting in those packets, and let's face it, quick-cooking oats only take about 4 minutes longer than their instant cousins, and you can control what goes in.  Of course, there are also the slow-cooking pinhead oats, but for today's post, let's just talk quick oats.  They're available in the familiar tubular box with the smiling Quaker man on the front, but the least expensive way to purchase them is in bulk.  I purchased mine recently at Whole Foods for around 70 cents a pound - see, there are a few deals at Whole Foods.

Oatmeal is good for you, of course, we all know that.  It lowers cholesterol, it's good for your heart, it's full of fiber, etc.  It's good for those of us who have a hard time feeling full or satisfied when trying to be healthy (that feeling goes away, by the way, just give it time).  Because it is high in fiber, it sticks with you for longer than some other cereals, and if you add a little fat, fruit and sugar (yes, I said fat and sugar - you need those, people, stop thinking they're bad words), you have a nice little meal with will keep you going until lunch. 

I use palm sugar in this recipe because I love its savory, rich sweetness, and a little goes a long way.  Palm sugar is available in Asian grocery stores and usually has to be grated on a cheese grater or zester; it comes in cake form.  If you don't have any palm sugar laying about, I would use nice dark brown sugar. 

Don't shy away from nuts, even though they are full of fat.  Nuts are very good for you, and the fat they contain go a long way in satisfying the typical human urge to consume fat.  It may as well be a good fat.  There's a lot of research to support this, which maybe I'll look up and link later . . .

Oatmeal With Fruit & Nuts - Serves 1

1 cup water
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
pinch salt
2 tbsp dried cherries, currants or raisins, roughly chopped
1 tbsp toasted pecan pieces
2 tsp palm sugar (grate and then pack down - it's about 1 1/2 tbsp fluffy) or 2 tsp dark brown sugar

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the oats, along with a pinch of salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, then taste for texture - you might want to add another ounce or 2 of water and cook a little longer; add the cherries and stir for one minute and then place in bowl.  Top with pecans and sugar.  Yum!

This recipe satisfies two servings of grains, one serving of fruit, and one serving of meat/nuts/legumes.  It contains 380 calories, 13 grams of fat (remember, it's good for you!), 9 grams of protein, 63 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of fiber.

Superfoods - Strawberries + Yogurt

Strawberry season is drawing to a close.  I hope everyone managed to eat their weight in strawberries while you still could.  I bought my last quarts of strawberries from Jacquemin farms at the Pearl Alley market on Tuesday; she said she won't be there this Friday, and is waiting to come back until her peas and other veggies start coming in.  I managed to get a few quarts in the freezer to enjoy in the wintertime - my first foray into preserving the harvest!  I thought I'd take this time to praise the health benefits of strawberries and yogurt, on of my favorite breakfasts.  If you want to be really healthy, sprinkle some toasted wheat bran on top.

Strawberries + Yogurt, with 1 teaspoon of sugar (1 cup each strawberries and yogurt)

Calories - 133 (180 from 1 cup fat free Brown Cow Vanilla Yogurt, 10 from sugar, 43 from strawberries)

Protein - 9 g

Calcium - 35% DV

Vitamin C - 136% DV

Vitamin K - 25%

Fiber - 14%

The antioxidants in strawberries have been shown to protect cellular structures - they benefit the heart and are an anti cancer and anti inflammatory fruit.  They are even good for your bright eyes, baby.  To read more about the health benefits of strawberries, click here.  For yogurt, click here.

Toasted Nutella Sandwich

It might not be the most stunning food photograph I have ever taken, but I think I have found the perfect soul-soothing breakfast or snack.  Yesterday afternoon I had this strange urge for chocolate chip cookies but lacked to motivation to actually produce any when suddenly I had this epiphany - toasted nutella sandwich!  It was even more than I hoped and a perfect example of the whole being more - much more - than the sum of its parts.  I insist you try it immediately.

Toasted Nutella Sandwich - serves 1

2 slices white bread - I suppose you could use good bread here, but I find that the soft white kind I purchased the other day by accident - the kind favored by kindergarteners everywhere - is particularly nice here.  The very thing that makes it almost unedible untoasted, its complete lack of body or chewiness, renders it perfect when toasted in the manner of grilled cheese sandwiches.

2 tbsp nutella - delicious hazelnut chocolate spread, these days available at nearly every well-stocked supermarket.

1 tbsp butter

very small pinch kosher salt

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-medium high heat and melt the butter.  Spread the Nutella on one slice of bread and place the other slice on top.  Place in the pan and cook until brown, about 3 minutes, and flip the sandwich.  Sprinkle the newly toasted side with kosher salt and cook until the other side is nicely toasted, about 2 more minutes.  Eat immediately with some coffee on the side.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Alas, this cake was consumed before any photographic evidence could be obtained.  I posted this under dessert and breakfast recipes because, although technically a cake, I think of it more like a nice brunch or tea item.  This cake is best baked 24 hours in advance so that it has a chance to soak up all the lovely syrup. 

Lemon Yogurt Cake - serves 10ish *this cake was inspired by Nigella Lawson's "Baby Bundts" from the How to be a Domestic Goddess book.

for the cake:

7 ounces plain yogurt - I like to use strained, Greek-style yogurt - if you use standard plain yogurt, reduce the amount of yogurt to 6 ounces

1 tbsp heavy cream

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

12 tbsp butter, melted

4 eggs

zest of 1 lemon

1 3/4 cup AP flour

1/4 cup high gluten (bread) flour - optional, but it provides a nice fat crumb.  You can use 2 cups AP flour and leave this out if you like

1 tsp baking soda

scant 1 cup sugar

pinch salt

for the syrup:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup lemon flavored vodka (optional, replace with lemon juice if desired), but I think the vodka gives it a nice, full mouth feel.  The alcoholic heat will diminish after the cake has "ripened," leaving only its rich flavor behind

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Combine all three ingredients in a small saucepan and heat for a few minutes to melt the sugar, or microwave for 30 seconds.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a Bundt cake pan with baking spray (with flour), or grease the pan thoroughly with butter, then dust with flour, shaking the excess flour out before filling.  Set aside.

Combine the yogurt, cream, lemon juice, butter, eggs and zest in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, soda and salt and add the the wet ingredients to the dry.  Stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake top is springy. The cake should not be brown, or only very slightly. 

Cool the cake slightly, 10 minutes or so, and then invert it onto a wire rack.  Prick the surface all over with a toothpick and, using a pastry brush, coat the entire surface with the syrup.  Repeat three times, allow the cake to sit for 10 minutes, and then turn the cake by placing a plate on top of it and turning the plate, cake and wire rack over, and then lifting the rack off. Prick the top of the cake all over with a toothpick and repeat the syrup-basting process.  Allow the cake to sit for a few hours, covered in aluminum foil, and then baste it again.  I like to allow the cake to sit overnight, and then, about an hour before serving, I baste both sides again, repeating until the syrup is gone.

Serve cake plain, or with a little whipped cream and fresh berries.

Homemade Yogurt, Part 2, with Accidental Cherry Jelly

Bon Voyage, Husband, with Pancakes and Sideways

My Old Friend, the Smoothie

These days, it seems that the smoothie is everywhere.  There are countless smoothie stands and shops, many offering $4 smoothies.  But a lot of these are packed with sugar, sweetened fruit purees, and ice!  I offer the true, really good-for-you smoothie, made at home for very little money.  This treat is delicious and really filling as breakfast, not to mention it offers 25% of your daily fiber intake (if you use berries), at least half of the "five a day" requirement for fruits and veggies, and about 20% of your daily calcium to boot!  Best of all, there is no added sugar.  I prefer to use Trader Joe's frozen fruit, if available.  Many are organic, and none contain added sugar; some are sweetened with pineapple juice, like their tropical fruit blend. 

Lisa's favorite smoothie

3/4 cup frozen mixed berries

1/2 cup frozen peaches

1/2 cup frozen mangoes, papaya, or a combination.  1/2 frozen banana is also good

1/4 cup apple juice

3/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

Place everything except the yogurt in blender and allow to sit for about 10 minutes to thaw slightly.  Blend until smooth, using a little hot water if things are still too frozen.  Add the yogurt and blend until well mixed.

Pour into 16 ounce glass and serve with straw and long spoon; massage head as needed for resulting cold headache.