Originally posted Mar 23, 2011 on old blog
One of the web sites I really enjoy nosing around at quiet moments is “Texas Cooking On-line“. In particular, I get a kick out of just about everything John Raven has contributed there.
Late last night, after finally turning off the World News, I needed a good dose of John Raven to give my mind something else to work on hoping to eventually get to sleep and dream of something other than disaster and war. Sure enough, ran across one of his articles entitled “If in Doubt, Fry it!” – and at the end this bit of sage advice:
Cream gravy for anything you fry
Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat remaining in your pan after frying. Add two tablespoons of flour. Mix it well, scraping all the goodies loose from the bottom of the pan. After it’s cooked a minute or so, add a cup of cold, whole milk or light cream or, even better, condensed milk. Stir with a whisk to break up the lumps. As it begins to thicken, add more milk, a little at a time, until you get the thickness you like. Season with lots of fresh ground black pepper.
Don’t forget the biscuits.
I won’t forget John – and thank you for the best sleep I have enjoyed in a week.
Edited: Speaking of John Raven and biscuits reminded me – he contributed three excellent articles over there back in 2004 on the subject of “Sourdough Baking” that are very much worth a look:
Sourdough Baking: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
This is the series of articles on sourdough baking. The whole thing started when a nice gentleman named John from Montgomery, Texas sent me a picture of his prized sourdough biscuits. John volunteered to share his wealth of sourdough experience with me, and I was inspired. — John Raven
Sure appreciate that site for sharing so much good stuff!