Cream Gravy
Cream Gravy
By now, you must know the one and only rule of this site: I have to love it before I’ll post about it. It’s not enough to give something a shot, decide it was so-so, then post here about how I gave it a shot, so here’s the not-so-thrilling recipe. But, see, I gave it a shot, so love my blog anyway. Nope, not how it works. So realize my dismay when I had this incredible craving last night for cream gravy and it turned out to be a wreck. A gravy trainwreck.
But you throw it away or feed it to the dogs or put it to compost, then pick right back up and start over again. And, lo and f’in’ behold, it was all worth it. My gravytrain just pulled into the station.
Cream Gravy*
1 T. canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cups unsweetened rice milk** (or other unsweetened dairy alternative)
salt and pepper to taste***
dash of white pepper (optional)
Place iron skillet on medium-high heat for about one minute to heat it up. Add oil and swirl to cover bottom of skillet. Add flour and stir briskly with whisk. While stirring flour, slowly add 1 cup of the rice milk. Stir continuously working lumps to the side and bottom of the skillet until few or no lumps remain and gravy thickens. Add last 1/2 cup rice milk, stirring continuously until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add white pepper for an extra kick.
*Sometimes called Milk Gravy or White Gravy. This gravy is used to top fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, and biscuits in Texas and other parts of the deep south.
**I wouldn’t use soy milk. Even the unsweetened version seems to change properties when heated and gives the gravy a sweet, nutmeg flavor that is simply wrong. Plus, it looked odd. Rice milk makes this gravy taste and look just right.
***I used 10 twists of my salt grinder and enough black pepper to make it “look” right (see pics). White pepper in addition to black pepper adds an extra bit of awesome.
Cream Gravy over seitan
September 9th, 2008 at 9:11 am
“My gravytrain just pulled into the station.” That is hilarious! But I have questions:
1. Any other instructions about what kind of rice milk to get? Do I need to avoid certain flavors, if it comes in flavors? Will the box say “plain?” (It’s been years since I’ve bought rice milk.)
2. Just 1 T of oil doesn’t seem like much. Do I need to measure it precisely? (I usually eye-ball oil.) Is there a danger of using too much?
3. Does this amount serve more than two people, especially two large people? Did you have leftovers, and does it keep well?
4. May I use that quote over and over, especially on the night I make the gravy, especially if I’ve had some wine while cooking? I will totally credit you.
This is such a great recipe to get today, when autumn feels as if it’s pulled into Chicago right behind the gravy train.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I realized later that I forgot a question. I don’t have a cast iron skillet! (I know, I know: my kitchen is crippled without one.) How will using a regular skillet affect this?
September 9th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I have answers:
1. Plain rice milk is best. Since most rice milk flavorings are dessert-y, they’ll make your gravy more like puddin’. The box should say “Rice Milk”. I’d avoid anything that says, “Rice Drink” as I’ve had bad luck with that type in the past.
2. I also eyeball oil, but since I was going to publish a recipe, I decided to measure it out. 1 Tbsp. actually seemed like a lot to me, because you’re not really making a roux. But adding flour to a dry skillet just seemed weird. Eyeball and see what happens.
2.a. (a=addendum) You could always brown the flour in the oil for a roux-like mixture, but I don’t like my cream gravy to be brown or tan. That’s why I add the milk right away. After the flour crackles upon initial add, then I stir and hit it with the milk. White gravy!
3. Damn. I *knew* I should’ve measured the finished amount. It was probably somewhere near the 2 cup mark. I’m assuming the thickening of the rice milk is akin to swelling and an increase in amount? But that’s for a physicist. I had leftovers. I like a lot of gravy when I use it. I topped three servings of mashed potatoes and one serving of sliced seitan in total. I think you could easily double this recipe as it kept wonderfully and tasted really, really good leftover.
4. Of course you can use the quote. I didn’t realize I was being so funny, but I’ll take it.
5. Meh, using a regular skillet is fine. No worries.