Grits: Y/N, if Y: How?

[DanaC]

Even though I know that biscuits are what you guys eat with gravy, I still smile when I read it. Biscuits are pretty much always sweet for us.

[Sundae]

It took me years to work out what US biscuits were.

Even now I'm hazy (and I don't think they mean Bisto either Dana)

Ok that's it - I'm putting a trip to the US ahead of getting online at home - I gotta have me some grits, some biscuits & some gravy.

Anyone fancy an exchange visit?!

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

It took me years to work out what US biscuits were.

Even now I'm hazy (and I don't think they mean Bisto either Dana)

Extremely fatty unsweetened, bread, smaller than muffins.

[DanaC]

and what's the gravy like?

[Happy Monkey]

Is gravy all that different across the pond? Cooked down juices from the meat, with spices?

[DanaC]

That's like ours except a lot of people use packet gravy :P)

[Sundae]

and no spices!

[DanaC]

I put spices in my gravy.....oh hang on, no, just a little paprika actually. Mainly it's herbs.

[Kitsune]

"You never heard of grits?"
"Sure I've heard of grits. I just never actually *seen* a grit before."


Someone fill this thing in for me:

US "cookie" = UK "biscuit"
US "biscuit" = UK "_____"

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Extremely fatty unsweetened, bread, smaller than muffins.

Oh the injustice! a well made biscuit is divine. It's like saying Alexander was a soldier. Well made biscuits can be as flaky as a croissant, though a bit more substantial. And there's nothing wrong with extremely fatty is there? As long as the fat is good fat. ie fresh cultured butter or lard, or both!

(An aside: Another thing I did which will no doubt earn me an additional aeon in hell. My MIL, who has serious "food disparagement" issues, declared my supremely awesome pie crust as being "too rich" because I use a 50/50 lard butter mix. She objects to the lard for psuedo health reasons, claiming the result is too heavy. yeah whatever. So I made my next piecrust with a 50/50 mixture of butter and manteca. She heartily approved of the change and declared it the best she had ever tasted, her tongue can't be fooled, etc. There are other stories of my switching "farm fresh eggs" from my firend's chickens with supermarket eggs from some giant egg ranch, of course she could tell that the supermarket eggs, no doubt going on 90 days, were fresh from the chicken's bum...)

I'm sure I'll meet a few other dwellars when I shuffle off this mortal coil; we can swap recipes.

[footfootfoot]

My gravy recipe:
get the fat away from the other liquid
to the other liquid add stock.
heat the fat in a cast iron pan and add white flour to make a stiff roux
stir constantly with a whisk.
constantly, I mean it.
when the roux turns as brown as you like your toast, rapidly whisk the liquid/stock mix into the roux. whip it like a red headed stepchild to keep it from getting lumpy. (I think each tablespoon of flour will thicken a cup of stock--google this, I'm not sure)
soy sauce makes a nice substitute for salt, if you swing that way. It adds a nice dimension.

herbs, of course. you can sort that out yourselves.

[bluecuracao]

Y to grits with lots of Cheddar cheese, OR lots of butter and a little salt.
And oatmeal (even Quaker) with crumbly brown sugar and a dollop of plain, tangy yogurt.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Oh the injustice! a well made biscuit is divine. It's like saying Alexander was a soldier. Well made biscuits can be as flaky as a croissant, though a bit more substantial. And there's nothing wrong with extremely fatty is there?

I never said it was bad! I love me a good biscuit. I was just trying to think of a way to differentiate a biscuit from, say, a roll.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

I never said it was bad! I love me a good biscuit. I was just trying to think of a way to differentiate a biscuit from, say, a roll.

speaking of which, do you remember Busterb's photo of deep fried biscuits?
They looked yum.

[skysidhe]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Nononono

Breakfast of the Gods is a proper British fry up.
Amended in my case (ie virtually unrecognisable) to:
Grilled sausage (links, not patties)
Grilled bacon (in rashers, not your little shavings!)
Egg - fried sunny side up, poached lightly or scrambled
Baked beans
Brown sauce
White toast with unsalted butter
A great big mug of strong tea

But the best brunch I've ever had (and believe me, I've brunched!) was the Cityscape buffet in San Francisco. I still recommend it to people travelling to the States. And the free top-ups of Bucks Fizz were only partly to blame.