Ingredients
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2 cups flour (all-purpose or soft flour, sifted)
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4 teaspoons baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon baking soda
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3/4 teaspoon salt (regular table salt, not kosher)
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2 tablespoons butter, very cold
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1 tablespoon butter flavor shortening, very cold
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1 tablespoon lard, very cold (YES, lard! or shortening, if you're chicken)
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1 cup buttermilk (chilled in freezer 15-20 minutes)
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2 tablespoons butter (salted, melted)
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12 ounces pork sausage (Jimmy Dean regular bulk, not links)
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7 slices bacon (Applewood Smoked or other hardwood-smoked)
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4 cups milk (not skim)
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3 tablespoons butter
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3 -4 tablespoons flour
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salt & pepper
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8 eggs
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2 tablespoons half-and-half cream or 2 tablespoons cream
Instructions
- To save time, make gravy the night before, and let flavors meld. That way, all you have to do in the morning are the biscuits and eggs 8-).
- GRAVY: On MEDIUM (not high) heat, crumble and sauté sausage – remove to plate.
- On MEDIUM heat, gently brown bacon – remove to plate & crumble.
- In same pan, keep about 3 Tablespoons of the rendered drippings from sausage & bacon. Add butter to melt.
- Make roux by adding 3 Tablespoons of flour to start with, add 1-2 Tablespoons more if you feel you need it. Slowly, whisk in cream then milk. Gently bring to a simmer for several minutes to thicken. Stir in crumbled sausage and bacon. Add a little salt, and plenty of pepper, to taste. (Can put in fridge for morning now). Makes 5 cups.
- BISCUITS: Preheat oven to 450°.
- In a large, chilled mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using two knives in a scissor-like fashion (or a pastry cutter), cut in the fats into the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
- Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2- or 3-inch cutter, (I use a ½ cup measuring cup) being sure to push straight down through the dough (do not twist on the way down!).
- Immediately place biscuits on a clay baking sheet, sprayed with Pam, so that they just touch, “shoulder-to-shoulderâ€- they’ll rise better, and not get too brown. You don’t want to give them a chance to rise, until they hit the oven. Gently reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.
- Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter. Makes about 9 two to three-inch biscuits.
- EGGS: Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add the cream and whisk until the eggs look foamy and light. Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until it foams, and then turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the eggs.
- Using a heat resistant rubber spatula, slowly stir the eggs from the outside of the pan to the center. Once the eggs begin to set, stirring slowly will create large, cloud-like curds. Season with salt & pepper.
- SERVE: Split a biscuit. Dot with butter. Either place scrambled eggs, then gravy, or - as I do, gravy first, and fluffy eggs on top.