Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Brown Gravy and Biscuit Tips

This was supposed to be posted last week, however all the sudden I felt like I got hit by a bus and hardly survived. The flu. I slept for four days straight and then spent the rest taking it easy by necessity. And I am STILL puny! I think it hit me so hard because of MS but I'm not sure? I didn't know I was capable of sleeping for days at a time. Then Corban got it. Then Brianna. Malachi did not seem to get it but did have the yucky stomach thing instead. Tylor is the only one that got a very mild version of it. He's been a great blessing to us sick folks!

Anyway, enough of that mess :) here is the delayed 'tasty tuesday' post. I hope it's a help to someone.

Brown Gravy. The secret? Toasting the flour till it's somewhat golden brown. It adds just the right flavor and color. Here is a quick video I did of that:


Now ... gravy  making is different for everyone. The ingredients will vary depending on what you are making and what you have on hand, however the basic components are: liquid, flour and fat. Liquid could be water, stock or milk. You already have your browned flour (and extra for later if you made a few cups!). The fat can be the drippings from the pan of whatever meat you are cooking, or you can use butter (a good substitute) or really you can just cut the fat out altogether, however your gravy will not be as rich tasting. Of course you might need to add some seasonings as well, however that's done at the last.

The ingredient ratio will be something like 2c of liquid per1/4c flour and fat. That's a good place to start (we double or sometimes triple this - so it will all depend on your needs).

Start with fat (opt) and flour and then slowly add the liquid, whisking all the while till very smooth. If you are not using fat, you might find it easier to start with cold ingredients. Or, if you can, take the meat out of your roasting pan and begin adding the gravy ingredients to it. The method is pretty versatile ... the main point is to whisk almost constantly while adding ingredients to prevent lumps.

TIP: If you find it clumping and heating too fast, remove it from the heat and continue whisking till you have things under control. Return to the heat source and continue on. And another
TIP: Sometimes it's easier to just throw everything into the blender. ;)

Be sure to simmer for a while before deciding to add more flour - it will thicken as it heats but it will eventually stop getting thicker. If it's too thick, add a little more liquid. If it's not thick enough, in a little bowl or cup add a few tablespoons of flour to a fourth cup of COLD water, whisk till blended well, and then whisk in to gravy. If you just put the flour directly into the gravy you will have little dumplings instead of smooth gravy.

OK, now for another fun tip.

While traveling recently I watched a sister making biscuits. Instead of taking time to roll the biscuits out, she simply used an ice cream scooper. GENIUS! I was so thankful to see this handy tip and have put it in to practice several times since being back.

You may flatten slightly with the back-side of the scoop.