Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Maple Chipotle Biscuits with Chicken Apple Sausage Gravy

I've never been a biscuits and gravy person.  I don't know why.  I like biscuits...I like gravy...I like certain kinds of sausage.  The Mr feels about the same.  The last time he had biscuits and gravy was at a popular breakfast chain restaurant in Niagara Falls in 2010 and it was quite possibly the worst biscuits and gravy ever made.  Is anyone here old enough to remember the smell of freshly copied dittos or carbon paper?  That's what it tasted like!  It was disgusting.

Lately I was seeing a lot of different cooking shows telling their audiences that it was impossible to make good gravy out of skim milk.  That ticks me off.  Don't tell me what I can and can't make.  So the rebel in me was out to prove that was a myth and I also set out to rectify the Mr's horrid biscuits and gravy experience but of course put my own spin on it.

When I served it to the Mr for dinner, he gave the look. The whole sink back in your chair, eyes widening thing, said it was awesome and the Trader Joe's sausage made it really good.  When I informed him that Joe had nothing to do with it and I, in fact, made the sausage I thought he was going to explode with pride.  "You made that sausage?!  You rock!!!"

Indeed...I do.



Maple Chipotle Biscuits with Chicken Apple Sausage Gravy

Maple Chipotle Biscuits
(Biscuit recipe only adapted from Pinch My Salt)
(Makes 10)


1 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup AP flour (plus a little more for work surface)
1 1/2 tsp Hain Baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 tbsp Trader Joe's organic maple sugar
2 La Costena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce  (seeds discarded)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Cut butter into small cubes and refrigerate until needed.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt until blended.


Take 2 of the chipotle peppers and discard the seeds.  (I wear food grade gloves when handling them.  Those babies will burn your fingers for hours!)  Dice the peppers.



Grab your butter cubes, add in your peppers and cut into the flour with a pastry blender or two forks until it resembles crumbs.



Pour in the buttermilk and combine until dough comes together in a ball.  Turn out dough onto floured work surface. Flour your hands and lightly knead dough a few times until it's blended. Pat into a circle, 3/4 – 1" thick.


Dunk biscuit cutter (or the top of a drinking glass) into flour and cut biscuits. You can form the extra dough into an extra biscuit. Put cut biscuits together on the baking sheet so the sides touch.



Bake the biscuits on the middle rack for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove biscuits to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.  Don't they look delicious?


For the gravy:
(Makes 6 servings)

Sausage portion:

1 lb Gold'n Plump Ground Chicken
1 granny smith apple
1 tbsp TJ's maple sugar
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp nutmeg

Gravy-
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups skim milk  (yeah that's right, I said it!)
1 tbsp coarse black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Peel, core and cube apple.  Put in a saucepan with 1 tbsp water on medium low heat and stew it down until soft.  Let cool.



In a large bowl add chicken, cooled apples, poultry seasoning, nutmeg and maple sugar.  Mix until combined.  Add to a deep skillet, break it up as it cooks until a nice crust is on it then set aside on a plate. Make sure you keep any browned bits of meat stuck to the pan.  You'll need it for the gravy!


Reduce heat to medium and to the skillet (and any drippings/flavor bits leftover) add the butter and stir until it melts.  Add the flour and stir it until it's tan in color so you can get your roux on!  Add the milk and whisk until it thickens up, get the pepper and sausage and add them into the gravy.  Stir well making sure you get all  of the yummy bits off the bottom so it can flavor the gravy.  Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes giving the occasional stir and taking care it doesn't burn or get too thick.


Makes 6 servings (each serving of gravy covers 2 biscuits quite nicely).  Top the maple chipotle biscuits or your favorite kind!



So how does that scandalous skim milk gravy taste?  I should warn you, you may never make full fat gravy again.  The sweet apple-y goodness of the sausage gravy with the peppery kick enveloping the flavorful biscuits, you've got a perfect balance of sweet n' heat.  Good things happen when you dare to buck cooking tradition!

A nice full Sunday morning serving of 2 biscuits and gravy for just over 500 calories with half the fat and a fraction of the sodium of a big name breakfast restaurant or about 375 calories for 1 biscuit and generous gravy?  That's slap yo' mama good!

Nutritional information per biscuit:  Calories 142  Total Fat 5g  Sat Fat 3g  Mono Fat 1g  Cholesterol 12mg  Sodium 163mg  Potassium 83mg  Total Carbs 21g  Fiber 1g  Protein 3g  Vitamin A  4%  Calcium 3%  Iron 3%

Nutritional information for gravy per serving:  Calories 234  Total Fat 13g  Sat Fat 5g  Mono Fat 2g  Cholesterol 71mg Sodium 148mg  Potassium 44mg  Total Carbs 17g  Fiber 1g  Sugars 9g  Protein 17g  Vitamin A 9%  Vitamin C 2%  Calcium 17%  Iron 4%

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30 comments:

  1. While most things taste better with full fat milk, the cooking show hosts claiming that good gravy can't be made with skim milk don't know what they are talking about! My mother is an awesome gravy maker and skim milk is all she uses, and now that's what I use. I'm not going to buy milk just for gravy and who really needs the extra fat calories. My problems with making gravy are remembering to use the whisk (I'm obsessed with trying to use a spoon when I know a whisk will guarantee me smooth gravy) and remembering to add salt when I use unsalted butter.
    Glad you had a good experience making sausage and thanks for sharing the recipe! I've tried to make my own, but need to tinker with the seasonings. My husband prefers a certain brand and for now it's easier just to buy it. He very carefully weighs out a portion everytime he cooks it, so the calories can be accurately counted.
    I remember what dittos and carbon paper smelled like - yuck!

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    1. Isn't that funny how some cooking shows try to limit you like that. Telling me you can't do something will at least make me try to prove that theory wrong and I think I did with these. Make sure you get a silicon whisk which work great for puddings and gravies!

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  2. We've been using skim milk (and 2%) for years and the gravy's still good. You do need some fat for good gravy, which you accomplished with the butter. It looks good!

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    1. Skim milk rocks! The Mr was raised on whole but switched to skim when he met me and it only took a 2 week transition period. ;)

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  3. Biscuits and gravy has never been on my favorites list. It is one of hubby's though so maybe I'll pass this on to him. I love chicken apple sausage, but never thought to make my own - that's something I'll definitely try.

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    1. It wasn't for me either but after adding the chicken apple sausage, it's definitely one of my new faves! You'll have to let me know if hubby tries it!

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  4. I bake buttermilk biscuits from a tube and make homemade sausage gravy. I really like it, but don't make it often because I have and will eat the entire batch in two settings!

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    1. I know, it would be easy to do. Even after we ate our serving and were feeling full the Mr was like "I want more!" I laughed and told him not til the next day and pushed them to the back of the fridge! (They reheat brilliantly by the way!)

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  5. Well aren't you wife of the year! I would love you forever if you made that for me! And it came out that good on the first attempt? I'm impressed, and yes I remember carbon paper...dear god, how could they make anything taste so awful! Good job, Mrs!

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    1. Hee hee, thanks! Yep, it was good to go the first try. I really don't know how that restaurant could've made the gravy taste like that and I probably don't want to know.

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  6. She knocked this one out of the park on the first attempt! What a great meal and I can't wait to have it again (hint hint).

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    1. Hint received. I wonder if I can pre-make the dough and we can take it on our jaunt? ;)

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  7. Well I miss biscuits and gravy sooo much and still make it for the fam, but gluten free biscuits are gross. Still, I was SO impressed with the chicken sausage, I would never have even considered that and will have to try it some time. Also, off subject, I hope you'll be pleased to know that I broke down and for once in my 54 years ate brussles sprouts for dinner (in bacon) At first I didn't like them much when my hubby gave me one little piece to try, but when I ate them with the little salty bacon bits, they were really good.

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    1. I hate that you have a gluten allergy (not as much as you do I'm sure) and I wish gluten free stuff wasn't so expensive so I could experiment a little more.

      YAY for trying brussels! I steam mine for 90 seconds in the micro, then caramelize them on the grill after having cooked up a slice of bacon. Sprinkle a tsp of parmesan cheese and perfecto!

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  8. I always make my gravy with skim--"they" don't know what they're talking about, because I make good gravy! And, I love biscuits and gravy--yours look delish, but you know about me and my inability to handle spicy--I'd leave out the peppers but I'm sure it would still be eyeball-rolling good!!

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    1. You could easily leave out the peppers and use basil or scallions or something mild. ;)

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  9. Oh, yeah and the dittos/carbon paper--I remember and gross is all I have to say to that!

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  10. This sounds really good. Fall inspired healthier biscuits and gravy, whats not to love!

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  11. um biscuits & gravy up north. YUCK. And being from Buffalo I can say that. DH went to college in Arkansas so we learned how to make propper ones down there.

    LOl

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  12. There is nothing like really GOOD biscuits and gravy, but that's hard to find in restaurants--it's usually the hole-in-the-wall places that know how to do them. My mom made the absolute best (full fat, high sodium) sausage gravy, and I've never been able to quite duplicate it. I'm going to have to try this as a healthier alternative to the way she made it!

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    1. Any time I've tried B&G it's tasted really salty so I didn't care for them but man after this, I might just be a convert! You'll have to let me know if you give them a go!

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  13. This made me laugh out loud! "That's slap yo' mama good!"

    I am going to link to this post tomorrow - loves me some healthy biscuits and gravy!

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    1. Glad I could give ya a giggle! Thanks, I'll keep my eye out for it!

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  14. This looks amazing! I wish I had time to make it right now!!

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  15. I had the best vegetarian biscuits and gravy when I was in Asheville for a conference a few years ago. Oh so good! I totally love the maple chipotle biscuits, too--such a good idea!

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  16. That looks absolutely fabulous...and that's comin' from a Southerner ;)

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  17. That sounds fantastic! I swear you should have your own cooking show. You should contact FoodTV and tell them the great story of you and your Mr and give them a sample of your recipes. You'd be a shooin!

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  18. I am so glad that I'm following you! Not only am I going to try this amazing recipe, but I am so inspired by your weight loss journey. AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing:)

    Katie
    www.funhomethings.com

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