RECIPE: BISCUITS AND CHOCOLATE GRAVY

Traditional buttermilk biscuits with chocolate gravy.... yes. Chocolate. This old-school Southern treat isn’t seen too much anymore. Back in the day, many farm families would make a skillet chocolate sauce or ‘gravy’ and turn their leftover breakfast biscuits into a sweet treat or dessert. 

You can use your own biscuit recipe or even use canned or frozen biscuits if you must. The key is to make sure the biscuits are nice and warm before you spoon over the chocolate gravy. If I'm using leftover biscuits, I warm them in the oven while I'm making the gravy.

TRADITONAL BUTTERMILK BISCUITS 

INGREDIENTS

½ cup cold butter (one stick)

2 cups self-rising flour

¾ cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or fork. Add the buttermilk. Stir just until moistened. Turn out onto a floured work surface. Flour rolling pin. Knead 3-4 times. Roll dough ¾” thick. Cut with a 2” circle biscuit cutter that you flour between each cut. Place on a greased baking sheet. Let them barely touch if you want taller biscuits- they'll have each other to push against to help them rise. Don't let them touch if you like a less 'fluffy' biscuit. Brush with melted butter and bake for 12-14 minutes. 

Makes about a dozen.

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CHOCOLATE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Pinch kosher salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 ½ cups whole milk

DIRECTIONS:

Sift the sugar, salt, cocoa powder and flour together. Put butter in a cast iron skillet. Over medium-low heat, add the flour mixture and cook like you would a roux, stirring until it becomes light brown and you've cooked off some of the raw flour taste.

Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, whisking each addition until smooth. Keep whisking until there are no lumps. Turn up the heat to medium heat, stirring continually until it thickens.

I like to add shavings of some really good chocolate when I serve it... I keep scraps just for this purpose.

RECIPE: PARMESAN CHEESE SKILLET SPAGHETTI CAKE

If you're like me, you always make too much pasta and have a ton left over. Here's a way to use it! My Parmesan Cheese Skillet Spaghetti Cake uses pantry or fridge items you simply bake in a cast iron skillet. It's pretty fantastic. In fact, you can throw just about anything you want in there... leftover roasted veggies, a bit of sausage or even leftover short ribs. This easy recipe is great for an impromptu party or for  dinner, as a side dish or anytime you have leftover pasta. Add some marinara on the side. You’ll love it!

PARMESAN CHEESE SKILLET SPAGHETTI CAKE

Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, smashed

12 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

2 eggs

1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 1/4 cup more for serving

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS: 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Toss with ½ teaspoon olive oil. Set aside.

Put the eggs in a large bowl and whisk them well. Whisk in the salt, pepper and the garlic. Add the pasta and the cheese. Toss to coat evenly.

Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron or oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. When it gets hot, add the smashed garlic clove and let it cook 1-2 minutes but don’t let it burn. Remove from heat. Use the back of a knife to turn the garlic clove into a paste. Mix it into the pasta.

Turn the heat down to medium. Carefully spin the hot skillet to distribute the olive oil. Pour the pasta mixture into the hot pan. Let it cook 3-4 minutes or until well-browned. Use a large spatula or two small ones to flip the cake and brown the other side; about 4 minutes more. The cake is done when the eggs are set and the cheese is melted.

If you prefer not to flip the cake, no problem. You can finish it in the oven. Before you start, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Once you've cooked the cake on the stove to brown the bottom, move the pan into the oven and cook for 10 minutes more or until the top is golden brown and the eggs are completely set. (Make sure to use an oven safe pan like a cast iron skillet)

To serve, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake and turn it out on a heat-proof platter or wooden cutting board. Sprinkle with more freshly grated Parmesan and some finely chopped Italian parsley.

RECIPE: BIG PUFFY SKILLET PANCAKE

I adore these giant skillet pancakes, sometimes called a Dutch Baby. Sooo much easier for a party than standing at the stove and flipping lots of regular pancakes. I learned this from a friend many years ago in Iowa. I didn't write the recipe down so I recreated it from scratch and as I was testing, I've learned there are a couple of tricks to making a great puffy pancake. First, make sure the sides and bottom of your pan are buttered and also make sure the oven rack is lowered near the bottom of the oven so the pancake will not burn around the edges as the pancake puffs like this one below has. Set the oven to 400 degrees F -but after 15 minutes, up the temp to 425 degrees for the final 10 minutes of baking, checking frequently.

So I learned after a few attempts to lower the rack before you start baking so the edges do not burn.

My favorite way to serve a Dutch Baby or puffy skillet pancake is with a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of powdered sugar but Maple syrup, and chocolate shavings are all very delicious!

Difficulty: Easy 

Prep Time: 5 minutes   Cook Time: 15-minutes, then 5-10 minutes more.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

3 eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Butter, syrup, Confectioner's sugar or other accompaniments.

 INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400. You will turn up the heat after 15 minutes of baking time to 425.

Use 1 tablespoon butter to generously grease the bottom and sides of a cast iron skillet. Set aside. Melt the other tablespoon of butter and allow to cool completely. Set aside.

With a stick blender, blender, or food processor, add the eggs, butter, milk, salt, vanilla and sugar and blend them for 15 seconds. Add the flour and blend the mixture for an additional 1 minute, making sure there are no clumps in the mixture.

Pour the batter into the buttered skillet. Bake 15 minutes then up the heat to 425 degrees for the final 5-10 minutes of baking time or until the pancake is puffed all the way around and the edges are golden brown. The timing will depend on your own oven. Sometimes, it takes 5 minutes more, sometimes more like 10.

Serve with a dusting of Confectioner’s sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Other options are fresh berries, whipped cream, or grated chocolate. Warm blueberry compote is also nice in the winter.