Buttermilk Biscuits
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour (~480 g)
1 tblspn Baking Powder (~21 g)
1 tspn Baking Soda (~5 g)
1 tspn Salt (~5 g)
7 tblspn (~105g) Butter (or, preferably 6 Tblspn (~90g) of Lard) (It's recommended to freeze and cube the butter or lard; I'm on the fence about freezing it, but cubing is definitely a help)
1 Cup of Buttermilk (~230ml) (If you're European, don't use your Buttermilk. American Buttermilk is different, it contains an added Enzyme that helps leaven it I believe. If you can't get American Buttermilk, just mix 1 cup Whole Milk (~230 ml ) with 1 tablespoon (~15ml) of either White Vinegar or Lemon Juice, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or until it curdles slightly)
(Optional) 2 tspn (~14g) of Honey or Sugar (I wouldn't recommend this if you're going for "authenticity")
Melted Butter for brushing
Preheat oven to 450F (~230C)
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Cut in the Butter or Lard with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture is crumbly. Form a well in the bowl and pour in the Buttermilk (and Honey) and stir until just mixed, it should be wet and lumpy. Roll out onto a floured surface, and, with floured hands, pat down the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness (~1 cm), then fold both ends into the center. Repeat the process about 6 times. Your dough should be about an inch thick (~2cm) at this point, get a biscuit cutter (or a decently sized glass, something about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter or 6 to 7 cm). On either a greased Large Cast Iron pan or a parchment paper lined baking sheet, arrange all the biscuits in a tightly packed, hexagonal pattern. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and immediately brush them with the butter, then let stand for 10 minutes. Don't feel bad if they come out a little wonky, biscuits are tricky to get right, and it's mostly something you learn from trial and error. Even a bad biscuit is pretty good.
Sausage Gravy
1 lb of Breakfast Sausage (450 g)
1/2 cup of All purpose Flour (~120 g)
2 1/2 cups of Whole Milk (~550 ml)
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Scramble the sausage into bits in a medium sized pot and cook on medium-high heat until brown, then lower temperature to medium-low and add half the flour to the pan to crisp the sausage bits. Then slowly incorporate the remaining flour and milk alternating, and whisking constantly. Low and slow is the key for good gravy. You want to whisk constantly on low to prevent flour clumps from forming. Make sure to add a lot of pepper to the gravy as it thickens. Once thickened, it's ready. Keep on the lowest heat possible until it's time to eat! (If it thickens too much, thin it out with a little milk and whisk until incorporated ; if it's not thickening, add a little flour and whisk.)
Scrambled Eggs
4 large eggs
1 tblspn of Butter (~14g)
1/2 cup of Whole Milk (~115 ml)
1/2 lb of grated cheddar cheese (~225 g)
Black Pepper, Salt, Paprika, Cayenne Powder
In a medium sized bowl, crack the four eggs and mix with the milk and cheese until runny, spice with ground black pepper, salt, paprika, and cayenne powder. In a medium sized pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat, pour the eggs onto the pan and gently push the egg mixture around until light and fluffy. Serve with a splash of tabasco sauce and a strand of ketchup.
Hash Browns
3 large russet potatoes
half a large yellow onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tblsp of Butter
Salt, Pepper, Paprika
Using a cheese grater, grate the 3 unpeeled russet potatoes (washing before hand is a given). Dice the yellow onion into small cubes, and mince the clove of peeled garlic. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, then add the onions until just sweating. Then add the garlic, and quickly afterwards add the shredded potatoes. Mix the ingredients together, adding the salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Once mixed, spread evenly across the pan, pressing down on the potatoes, and let cook for about two minutes. Then stir again and repeat the process, occasionally flipping in sections. Do this for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Additionally, if you want, pan cook bacon before you make the Hash Browns and use the Bacon Grease instead of the butter.
