Let’s just call it as it is:  the biscuit is a pretty & social gal.  And what’s the Homecoming Queen without her homecoming court? We’re talking gourmet beauties like butter, jams & preserves, honey, country ham as well as gravy.  And as a perfect follow up to my last post, “Biscuits from Scratch,” it seems fitting to showcase the biscuit’s “BFF”:  Gravy!

I’d hazard a guess that the two most popular Southern biscuit gravies are “sawmill” gravy which is a white, milk-based gravy of sausage bits and their drippings, and then there is “red eye” gravy which is made from country ham drippings and leftover breakfast coffee.  While they are both delicious accompaniments to biscuits, I wanted to share two other recipes that don’t get quite the same attention, but are equally tasty:  tomato gravy and chocolate gravy!

TOMATO GRAVY

Interestingly, I did not grow up on tomato gravy.  In fact, it wasn’t something my mother ever cooked, nor do I remember it as a menu item when we all went out to dine on those breakfast or brunch occasions.  I stumbled onto tomato gravy in my late adult life, perusing a magazine that spotlighted chef Scott Peacock of Atlanta’s Watershed restaurant and his recipe for ‘”Fried Chicken & Tomato Gravy.”  I know Scott Peacock (clarification, I know OF him), and felt compelled to give the recipe a go.  As I recall, my fried chicken needed improvement but the tomato gravy was spot on … so, how could I have been missing this treat for all my years?

The gravy as you cook it is creamy and a voluptuous red-pink, with chunks of tomato swimming in the slightly salty sauce – the under note of smoky bacon on the back of the palette.  The tart acidity of the tomatoes are perfectly balanced by the addition of dairy and spice.  Oh, did I mention the onions and garlic too?  And for those of you that may happen to do your own canning, your whole summer tomatoes that were put up last July would go perfectly here.  Just note though, that tomato gravy is not smooth like an Italian red sauce; it’s supposed to be somewhat chunky and rustic looking.

The recipe has apparently been published in a number of venues, but after I purchased chef Peacock’s cookbook that he did in conjunction with Edna Lewis, I discovered that the tomato gravy recipe was inside (what serendipity).  And that’s what I’m sharing below.  Call me crazy, but I think any leftover ‘gravy’ would pair just fine as a sauce with some roasted poultry, grilled eggplant planks, or maybe even some shrimp & pasta.

CHOCOLATE GRAVY

True confession:  I’ve never had chocolate gravy until six weeks ago after I saw a Food Network rerun one insomniac-like night.  Shamefully, I made it in secret – one of those trashy cravings you can’t shake – and for which you are too embarrassed to admit.  I remember distinctively, since I struggled to quantify the Weight Watchers points it represented.  At any rate, the fact that this sauce has been a Southern staple for decades and I had no idea of its existence is somewhat embarrassing .. how can I call myself a Southerner?  In fact, I feel like I missed some part of childhood.  Unequivocally, no amount of sweet talking would have EVER convinced my mother to dish that up as a ‘breakfast of champions’.

But wouldn’t you know it, as I’m perusing my new January/February Saveur magazine just last week, guess what biscuit BFF is holding firm at #48 on “The 2010 Saveur 100 Readers’ Edition”?  CHOCOLATE GRAVY!!  This is as close to divine validation as you can get, with full license to jump on the gravy train now.  The recipe that I tried is one published by Paula Deen of butter & cream cheese fame.  Go full throttle on this one … I got a bit entrepreneurial by adding in a touch of vanilla extract at the end for the extra flavor bump.  Warning:  once you try it, you’ll want it again.

If you’re wondering about how rich this is, don’t.  The use of milk versus heavy cream saves it from being overwhelming or ganache-like.  Think of it more like a loose chocolate pudding; in fact, the ingredients are relatively the same as pudding, just less thickening agent.  With that said, I don’t know that I’d make this a breakfast item; my middle age taste buds just aren’t up for choco-rama in the AM, as I’m more of a savory girl.  Then again, I don’t have a house full of kids to impress, so this may be the perfect sleepover breakfast for the ‘tween crowd.  But if I wanted to show off and get all “chefy”, chocolate gravy & biscuits would be a mean retro-style dessert served with some fresh fruit — like a deconstructed chocolate fondue — but with a redneck twist.

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“Tomato Gravy”

Adapted from The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis & Scott Peacock

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp bacon fat
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 pound tomatoes, fresh or canned — peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/3  inch pieces (about ¾ cup)
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup heavy cream

Heat the bacon fat in a heavy non-reactive skillet, and add the diced onion.  Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the freshly ground black pepper, and thyme, and cook for another 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over and cook, stirring well, for another 2 minutes.  Stir in the chopped tomato and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook 5 minutes longer.  Slowly stir in the milk and heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  Simmer gently for 5 minutes.  Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.  Serve hot.

PERSONAL NOTES:  When I first tried this recipe, I didn’t have any milk or heavy cream on hand.  But, I did have some half & half, as well as a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard – of which the combination seemed to work well enough.  Additionally, I’m less crazy about the use of thyme, so I cut back a tad on the amount used.  As always, adapt for your own tastes.

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“Chocolate Gravy”

Adapted from “Chocolate Gravy & Biscuits” by Paula Deen, Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/3 stick butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (that’s my optional add-on)

Heat the butter in a skillet over low heat.  Mix in sugar, flour and cocoa.  Slowly pour 1 cup of milk into the skillet and whisk well to remove lumps.  Whisk in remaining milk, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick, being careful not to scorch.  After taking off heat, add in vanilla extract and stir in completely.  Serve hot over biscuits.

PERSONAL NOTES:  I did use a high grade cocoa powder (Green & Black’s), although good ole Hershey’s would be fine.  Additionally, while this is called “gravy,” it is a glorified chocolate pudding sauce that I feel sure one could utilize any leftovers as ice cream topping, or fill some mini pie tarts.  My leftovers were stored in the fridge and quickly zapped in the microwave later without any drama.  Of course, other households probably wouldn’t have leftovers ….

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