Vegetarian biscuits and gravy

When Rene and I were on our holiday road trip, biscuits and gravy was a breakfast dish we encountered in almost every city. I’d had this Southern specialty once before (at brunch at Extra Fancy in Williamsburg) - it consists of flaky buttermilk biscuits split lengthwise, smothered in an often obscene amount of sausage gravy (a thick, bechamel-based sauce with sausage). It is an absolutely killer breakfast, and I don’t just mean that figuratively - buttery biscuits in a rich sauce is not a dish for the faint of heart.

Every time I saw biscuits and gravy on a menu, I wondered if there was a way to make the dish just a little healthier. I finally got around to working on it this past weekend and turns out, it is possible. (Some recipes around the interwebs utilized fake meat products to make vegetarian biscuits and gravy, but frankly I think that’s gross, and strong discourage you from eating artificial meat as well.)

There’s no way to avoid using loads of butter if you want a flaky biscuit, but I did use half whole wheat flour instead of all white flour. And instead of using sausage to give the gravy a meaty element, I used mushrooms; the only secret is to caramelize them really well. Please, do not try to use skim or low fat milk for the gravy, or your saucy will be thin and runny instead of thick and rich. Oh, and you’ve gotta eat ‘em with Louisiana hot sauce. Trust me.

Biscuits and gravy are a great departure from sweet weekend breakfasts like waffles and pancakes. They are more labor intensive but hey, it’s a weekend and you can have a nap afterwards.

Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy
(Yield: 4 servings)

Biscuits:
Adapted from Bon Appetit
(Yield: About 8 biscuits)

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• 3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten

Procedure: Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda and flours. Quickly grate cold butter (using a food processor or box grater), and working with about a handful of grated butter at a time, toss into the flour mixture. Continue to toss the rest of the butter with the flour, being cautious not to melt the butter with your hands. Using a fork, mix in dill and buttermilk, then gently knead with your hands, just until a shaggy dough comes together. Pat out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1 ¼-thick. Cut out biscuits with a 3” biscuit cutter, rerolling scraps once. Place biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush tops with beaten egg. Bake until golden brown, 30–35 min. While biscuits are baking, prepare the gravy.

Mushroom gravy:

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 5 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, thinly sliced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 c whole milk, hot but not boiling
• 1/2 c vegetable stock (organic and low sodium, if possible)
• 1 tsp brown mustard
• 3/4 tsp caraway seeds (or fennel seeds)
• Sea salt + freshly ground black pepper

Procedure: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 min. Season with pinches of salt and pepper, stir, and transfer to a plate - set aside. Return skillet to stove.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil over medium-low heat and add flour. Whisk to dissolve flour in oil and cook for 1 min (this is called a roux). Gradually whisk in hot milk and continue whisking until no clumps remain (this is a bechamel sauce). When the sauce begins to simmer, whisk in vegetable stock, mustard and caraway seeds. Let the sauce simmer, whisking frequently, until it is the consistency of thick pancake batter, about 4 min. Season with salt and pepper, stir in cooked mushrooms, taste and re-season if necessary. To serve, split two biscuits and spoon gravy over the top.