Biscuits and Gravy

OMG I lurve me some Cracker Barrel!!

They do the BEST turnip greens.
Oh man red beans and ham and cornbread sounds good....

I could murder a giant breakfast from Cracker Barrel.  I saw a big American-style breakfast  on television the other day and I was almost panting.     I could also do with some fried okra... I miss it so much!   :\\\'(  Anne, have you ever seen okra in Newcastle anywhere?  I must find it...

You should be able to get okra in Tesco's.  Mine has it.

LOL!     DH and I had this argument for weeks after he tried it.  He says "it's not gravy, it's sauce," I say "it's gravy if you are from Texas," he says "I don't care where you are from, it's sauce.  Gravy is brown."  and so on and so on.  He didn't care for it much.  He also had cream gravy on chicken fried steak, which he thought was a bit better than on biscuits, but once he cut into the steak, he wanted to know why his "chicken" was brown and chewy... 

So why was his chicken brown and chewy?

So why was his chicken brown and chewy?

Because it was beef. It's just fried like chicken, hence 'chicken fried' steak.


Jewlz, no, I haven't seen any okra that I can recall, but we only shop at Asda and Sainsbury's . Haven't looked in Tesco's or Morrisons, but I might check it out, going by what hatsumomo  said.

I could murder a giant breakfast from Cracker Barrel.  I saw a big American-style breakfast  on television the other day and I was almost panting.     I could also do with some fried okra... I miss it so much!   :\\\'(  Anne, have you ever seen okra in Newcastle anywhere?  I must find it...

I get frozen okra from my local asian shop (and i'm in deepest, darkest devon!), they also have fresh okra once in awhile

I really should have stayed away from this thread after I made my first reply. I'm now craving things I hadn't even thought of in past year and a half!

I'm going to see my daughter in Florida on the 31st of this month and I can predict a fair amount of weight gain by the time I get back on the 14th of Feb. I'm either going to cook like a fiend while I'm there or the restaurant industry is not going to have to worry about making a bit of profit for those two weeks lol.

Fried catfish and turnip greens is now at the top of the list, running just slightly ahead of the pork chops. 

Mmmmmm, catfish!  Now that is one American delicacy I certainly can appreciate! 


Vikcy

Mmmmmm, catfish!  Now that is one American delicacy I certainly can appreciate! 


Vikcy

I used to
until
I went home once and got a stomach virus and ate catfish the night before and then got ill during the night. I now can't eat catfish..which is shame cause I loved it

Can't eat green giant little niblet corn in butter sauce either cause of that!

I was thinking about the biscuit vs scone debate again about a week ago.  Are biscuits 'like' scones & I'm firmly in the 'definitely not!' camp, but not particularly because of the ingredients therein.  It's the weight & texture of them being very different.

We were sitting & having lunch in a pub and I looked at the next table over.  They were having lamb stew with lovely dumplings on top, and then it hit me - a biscuit is essentially a dumpling, but in the roundish shape of a scone.  Steve agreed that's the best description for explaining to Brits what we Americans mean when we're talking about biscuits.  Now I realise it would probably depend on the type of dumpling perhaps, but the dumplings that were on those people's stew?  They were in a kind of a weird egg shape, but I thought immediately - wow!  There are biscuits over here!

Dumplings are only dumplings if they are made with suet and are steamed.  They expand during the process and are very soft all through.  Does that sound like a biscuit?

Dan has just told me that when he was in the Ohio on his BUNAC many moons ago, all the Brits used to dare eachother to have biscuits and gravy, but none of them were ever brave enough!

Vicky

Biscuits, dumplings and scones all contain some combination of flour, leavening (baking powder), fat (butter, lard), and liquid (milk, cream, buttermilk).  The amounts and types of these ingredients, and the way the dough is handled account for the differences in taste and texture.  Plus obviously fruit or cheese or anything else you care to add will make a difference. 

Personally, I don't think that dumplings are noticeably more like biscuits than scones are.  The frozen dumplings my MIL served a few days ago were just as heavy as any scone, certainly not like a nice light fresh biscuit.  It's really all down to the ingredients and the execution.

How are they cooked?  Should they be crisp on the outside?

Vicky

Mmmmmm, catfish!  Now that is one American delicacy I certainly can appreciate! 

Oh, now I want some fried catfish!

How are they cooked?  Should they be crisp on the outside?

Vicky

No. American dumplings are American biscuit dough cooked in liquid.  Usually it's some species of stew, but my mom has a great recipe for dumplings cooked in caramel.

I must be the only one who thinks biscuits and gravy are blegh! Give me honey or jam on my biscuits any day.