Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

The moment came where I had to make a decision: do I go the easy route and bust out the food processor or mix the butter in by hand. Normally, I'd go with the former, but right now I feel like taking my time and getting my hands dirty. This is how Jessica does it in her book, Stir, and, having just finished reading it, I felt compelled to follow in her footsteps. Rubbing each cube of butter into the flour with my fingertips, I could focus on the feel of the dough and how it was forming. At the point it resembled a "coarse meal," I picked up the bowl of buttermilk I'd mixed together (a combination of milk and white vinegar, because we rarely have buttermilk in the house) and drizzled it in as I circulated a wooden spoon.  When all was combined, I gave it a taste. As a cook, I can't help but try uncooked dough before it hits the oven. This met all the marks: buttery, a touch of sweetness, and a hit of salt. While the biscuits baked, I mixed together the vegetarian mushroom gravy. We had some cherry tomatoes around, which gave the sauce some acid and sweetness. I've now made this twice for breakfast, though, I think it'd would make for a delightful dinner as well. Just throw together a light green salad on the side and you have a meal.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy | A Thought For Food

I should step back and talk about Stir a bit more. This was a book that I knew nothing about before its release. I didn't know who Jessica was despite her living in Cambridge and being a fellow food blogger who created her site, Sweet Amandine, around the same time I did. But as soon as her book came out, her name kept popping up around the blogosphere. I marked it down on my books to read this summer and I'm so glad I did. This isn't a cookbook, which she states very clearly from the start, though there are recipes. Instead, Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home focuses a brain aneurism that she endures and the subsequent complications from the illness and corresponding procedures. But food has always played a powerful role in her life. Following her time in the hospital, she struggles to get back into the kitchen... so she turns it into a goal. If I can bake x, it means I'm still me. The writing is striking, personal and honest. But, most importantly, it's inspiring. It made me think hard and deep about the important things in my life. And it made me want to get into the kitchen and make something, with my hands, and feed it to the people I love.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy

Source
From the Dot's Diner recipe published in Bon Appetit (Oct 2000) via Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor

Ingredients

For the biscuits
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 170 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup cold buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubes of butter into the bowl and rub them into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until mixture resembles course meal.

3. Stir in buttermilk until the mixture forms a moist dough, but make sure not to over mix the dough.

4. Pack a 1/4 cup measuring cup with dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm with mushroom gravy (see recipe below).

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients
For the gravy
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
10 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
10 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons corn starch

Directions

1. Melt butter in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for a minute. Add mushrooms and tomatoes and season with salt, smoked paprika, and oregano. Add the vegetable broth and let cook for 5 minutes, until some of the vegetable broth has evaporated.

2. Put the corn starch in a medium mixing bowl. Spoon in the liquid from the pan and whisk with the corn starch until you have a slurry. Stir the slurry back into the pan with the vegetables and mix to combine. This will create a thick sauce.

3. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add a touch more salt. Spoon gravy over biscuits (or serve in a bowl with biscuits on the side).

Creamy, Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Creamy, Cheesy Scrambled Eggs // A Thought For Food

Last weekend was our annual Cape retreat with some of our friends. A few couples stayed with us at the house where we did what we do best: chat, read, eat, and drink. Before their arrival, I spent an afternoon preparing large quantities of corn salad, sangria, and lobster salad. This freed up my time, allowing me to enjoy the warm weather a bit more, instead of having to spend hours in the kitchen. The only meal I didn't plan for was breakfast. I'm an early riser, so after I'd gotten dressed and taken the dog out, I began preparing one of my favorite weekend breakfasts: scrambled eggs.

These scrambled eggs are, quite simply, the best I’ve ever had.  It's a slightly adapted version of Julia Chid's recipe, which calls for a pat of butter at the end. But I think the real beauty comes from the low and slow method she used. Instead of getting clumps of egg, this preparation is more reminiscent of a custard. By the end, you have smooth, rich and creamy eggs that are perfect for spreading on top of toast.

Creamy, Cheesy Scrambled Eggs // A Thought For Food

Creamy, Cheesy Scrambled Eggs // A Thought For Food

Creamy, Cheesy, Scrambled Eggs // A Thought For Food

Creamy, Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Source Mildly adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Yields 4 servings Ingredients

8 eggs Salt and pepper 4 tsp milk 1 tablespoon softened butter 1/4 cup grated cheddar (I used a sharp cheddar) 1 1/2 tablespoon softened butter Fresh tarragon, parsley, chive, chopped

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl with salt and pepper for 20 to 30 seconds, until yolks and whites are blended and a foam starts to form on top.

2. Butter the pan with 1 tablespoon of softened butter. Pour in the eggs and set over moderately low heat.  Stir slowly and continually, reaching all over the bottom of the pan.  Nothing will seem to happen for 2 to 3 minutes as the eggs gradually heat.  Suddenly they will begin to thicken into a custard.  Stir rapidly, moving pan on and off heat, until the eggs have almost thickened to the consistency you wish.  Then remove from heat, as they will continue to thicken slightly.

3. Just as soon as they are of the right consistency, stir in grated cheddar cheese into the eggs along with the the enrichment butter, which will stop the cooking.  Season to taste, turn out onto the platter, decorate with herbs, and serve.

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Maple, Fruit and Nut Granola

I cherish my mornings at home. One of the many pleasures of being my own boss is that I can decide how I want to start my day. There are subtle differences to each day, like whether I get myself onto the elliptical for a little workout.  The one thing that remains the same is that I take Maki out to let her do her doos. As soon as I get back, I pour myself a mug of coffee and prepare something to nibble on.  I go through phases with my breakfasts. It can be a taco with a fried egg and sliced avocado, or some scrambled eggs with sauteed kale.  I'm also not opposed to just reaching for a container of leftovers. Cold veggie fried rice? Perfect!  Right now, however, I'm into granola. Yes, I know it'd be so much easier to just grab a box at the grocery store, but I'd be missing something so wonderful if I did that. Like a lot of foods, I feel very strongly about what's in my granola. There should be a variety of textures going on. I don't want it too sweet.

This particular granola recipe was inspired by Aimée Wimbush-Bourque's fabulous book Brown Eggs and Jam Jars. And the timing couldn't have been better. You see, Eric and I recently tapped our maple tree out back. He hooked up a spigot that was fitted with a tube that ran into a five gallon water jug. Within a day and a half, the thing was full. Since I'm the one who works from home (when I'm not out on a shoot), I was in charge of boiling the sap down into syrup. The process was not nearly as complicated as I thought it'd be, though the four hours it took (using three large pots) made me question how often we needed to do this. The result was wonderful, a light amber colored syrup with a natural sweetness that one only really finds in this or honey. I should also note that there's a section in Aimée's book on harvesting maple syrup. Just another reason to order a copy.

The bottle has been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks. I've struggled to find a use for it. And that's why I was so excited to make this maple granola. I like a lot of things in my granola, so I loaded it with dried fruit (cherries and cranberries), sunflower seeds, pepitas, chopped walnuts, and, of course, oats. After it's tossed together with the maple syrup, a couple tablespoons of butter, and a sprinkle of salt, I baked it in the oven until golden brown.

So, thank you Aimee for your beautiful, inspiring recipe. I hope everyone goes and picks up a copy of your book right now.

Maple, Fruit and Nut Granola

Source Adapted from the granola recipe in Brown Eggs and Jam Jars by Aimée Wimbush-Bourque

Note This is not a clumpy granola. Personal preference, but I like smaller pieces.

Ingredients

3 cups oats
1/4 cup pepita
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup chopped dates
½ cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoons Kosher salt

Directions

1. Position oven rack to the middle and top third of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper (if you are using smaller pans, use two).

2. In a bowl, mix together the oats, pepita, sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, dried fruit, dates and salt.

3. Drizzle maple syrup, melted butter and a sprinkle of salt over mixture and toss to coat.

4. Spread mixture evenly in the lined baking pan. Place pan(s) in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, giving the mixture a stir half way through. Be careful not to burn the granola.

5. Remove pan(s) from oven and let the granola cool before transferring to a storage container. The granola can be stored in an airtight container for two weeks.