Gravy's Cooking Thread

I'm kind of 100% against cornstarch in anything but sauces that need a level of clarity to them (think teriyaki, various types of citrus based sauces, etc) but unless you have some room temp roux on hand, it's really hard to beat a cornstarch slurry for speed at thickening a sauce. I'm really sensitive to the flavor and mild chalkiness that comes with cornstarch, so I tend to avoid it in most cases. But if you don't mind it or (even better) can't even tell, cornstarch slurries can easily be an across the board thickening solution. The exec chefs I worked for/with leaned towards using roux for cream/milk anything and cornstarch for clear/transparent sauces, and it definitely rubbed off on me.

That said, you do a vodka/lime reduction, mix in a little blood orange juice for coloration and then apply to a medium rare slab of swordfish? Cornstarch that bitch up, because it is still going to taste amazing.

This thread needs more cajun cooking. Here is my Favorite for BBQ shrimp, just do it already and thank me later

½ lb. Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp Lemon
3 tbsp whole sweet basil
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp hot sauce
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 lb. raw head-on Louisiana jumbo shrimp (of course any will do but gotta pimp the home state)

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt margarine and add all ingredients for the sauce. Once combined, add shrimp and spread out so they are not on top of each other. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip each shrimp and cook other side for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to deep dish and serve with French bread for dipping.

Zoe said:

Whose got the perfect biscuits and gravy recipe? I brown 1lb regular sausage, add 1/3C flour, then 4C milk some seasoning salt and 2x pepper as seasoning salt. It's good but I want better. Who has the trick?

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Just in case you want a simple answer, butter. You use the same ingredients as I do, but I add extra butter to the gravy. You'll probably need to add a bit more flour to make up for the added fat, but it should work.

mkopec said:

I make a mean chicken, sausage jambalaya. Its an all day affair, since I make my own chicken stock. But I make a huge vat of it and freeze off dinner portions.

I would post this delicious recipe, which is all my own BTW, but it would be TLDR, so fuck off.

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I love making Jambalaya too. Throw in some peppers, onions, ham, shrimp, or bacon depending on the mood (chicken and andouille sausage always). All over a little bit of rice. Great for a week's worth of food.

rush02112 said:

This thread needs more cajun cooking. Here is my Favorite for BBQ shrimp, just do it already and thank me later

½ lb. Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp Lemon
3 tbsp whole sweet basil
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp hot sauce
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 lb. raw head-on Louisiana jumbo shrimp (of course any will do but gotta pimp the home state)

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt margarine and add all ingredients for the sauce. Once combined, add shrimp and spread out so they are not on top of each other. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip each shrimp and cook other side for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to deep dish and serve with French bread for dipping.

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You motherfucker! I must make this, ribs may have to take a back seat.

I've had a reawakening of chicken wings. Wings are always edible bit never all that impressive to me. Boring 'breading' and even more boring sauces all loaded with sugar. My uncle recently reminded my that my grandfather used to make them by smoking them. He taught me what to do and I tried his recipe out and holy fuckballs. These wings transcend wings.

It was just tossing the wings with a bit of peanut oil. Then sprinkle Lawry's salt and Lawry's pepper on them. Soak some Hickory chips in water for about 30 mins prior. Then just indirect heat them on a basic charcoal grill for about 20-25 minutes per side flipping only once. Add Hickory chips at the beginning and then another round of them when you flip the chicken. Let sit for 10 minutes and devour.

So simple, but they come out dark roasty brown with a crackly crispy skin that is full of flavor. The smoke penetrates the meat and it falls off the bone. Best part is it took no sugary sauces to get this flavor. They are super simple but taste like absolute heaven. People will think you know what you're doing.

Folks like rezz might not be impressed, but if you want an easy, non-sugary way to make some excellent grilled/smoked wings, I'd say try this. I honestly wish I could make some for you guys and get some opinions. I think old gramps was on to something.

I love making me some smoked wings. I smoke them around 350-375 for the crispy skin and then toss them in whatever sauce I want. They are quite tasty.

The best wings I've had are smoked. Wish I had a yard so I could experiment with that.

This thread is always a sausage party (see what I did?)

I do all the baking for the holidays and here are my secret weapon:

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies. I took the base chocolate chip cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchen: The Best Recipe. It was recommended to me by a friend who was a chef in the casino's and it's the only book I'll ever recommend.

2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate chips

For the coffee flavor add 1 to 3 tablespoons instant espresso to the liquid ingredients before combining with the dry. I use 3 for personal consumption and 2 for everyone else.
Also, if you like your cookies chewy, melt the butter instead of creaming it at room temperature like most recipes call for - This causes the water to separate from the fat, so when you mix in the flour you develop a little gluten like when making bread.


That little tip is why I love this book so much, it breaks out the science of why the recipes work if you like to nerd out to cooking.

Bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes, and rotate cookie sheets from top to bottom halfway through

Pictures of said cookies?

Here's those wings. Crispy, smoky, and savory.

Fogel said:

This thread is always a sausage party (see what I did?)

I do all the baking for the holidays and here are my secret weapon:

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies. I took the base chocolate chip cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchen: The Best Recipe. It was recommended to me by a friend who was a chef in the casino's and it's the only book I'll ever recommend.

2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate chips

For the coffee flavor add 1 to 3 tablespoons instant espresso to the liquid ingredients before combining with the dry. I use 3 for personal consumption and 2 for everyone else.
Also, if you like your cookies chewy, melt the butter instead of creaming it at room temperature like most recipes call for - This causes the water to separate from the fat, so when you mix in the flour you develop a little gluten like when making bread.


That little tip is why I love this book so much, it breaks out the science of why the recipes work if you like to nerd out to cooking.

Bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes, and rotate cookie sheets from top to bottom halfway through

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If you want them really chewy, swap out bread flour for the AP. Everyone I know likes chewy cookies. I'm a crisp guy personally.