There is a very good chance I danced around my kitchen to Buddy Jewell’s “Sweet Southern Comfort” after tasting these. I’m continuously mystified by foods ability to take me anywhere. And lord, have I been missing the Southern United States for awhile now. There’s nothing quite like sitting at a Georgia brunch on a Sunday morning eating a plate of steaming biscuits and gravy. Once upon a time, I was living on the Florida Georgia state line. I spent my days treating and rehabbing injured Florida Panthers (that’s a story for another time), and my nights diving into deep South Cuisine.
Traditional Biscuits and Gravy
A traditional biscuits and gravy is a collection of buttermilk drop biscuits bathing in country sausage gravy. I hold a firm belief that you do not have to say goodbye to your favorite dishes when you go vegan. A country gravy should be warm, welcoming, thick, creamy, and transport you to the Southland. So for this recipe, I have substituted out the sausage for oyster mushrooms. Any mushroom will work for this, however, I prefer the light texture of an oyster mushroom.
Drop Biscuits vs. Pull Apart Biscuits
Lets start with the biscuits, shall we? You can definitely purchase some premade canned biscuits for this recipe, but I would always rather make my own. It’s part of the whole process, amiright? I tested this recipe with a pull apart biscuit vs a drop biscuits. Drop biscuits took the win- something about that irregular shape and scone feeling. I like to add a bit of nutritional yeast to these biscuits for a punch of cheesy flavor. I also like to cook them in a cast iron, but a baking sheet will work. For the sake of convenience, if you cook them in a cast iron you can just pour the gravy right over them and eat straight from the cast iron. Plus it just looks prettier, and you know how I feel about making things look pretty. (I’m really trying to sell the cast iron).
How to Make Vegan Buttermilk
Any good southern biscuit will contain buttermilk… it’s the law. Luckily, vegan buttermilk is probably the worlds easiest recipe. You are simple adding an acidic liquid to some milk. My two most common choices are apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. As far as milk goes, I have only ever tested this with oat milk, but I hear that it works with any plant milk. Mix the two ingredients together and set aside until you’re ready to use. This little tip has come in handy for so many desserts that I’ve tried to veganize.
Oyster Mushroom Gravy
It’s gravy time, baby. Honestly, I’m probably going to be saying “It’s gravy, baby” all week at work now, so this is me apologizing to my coworkers in advance. If you’re still on the hunt for oyster mushroom, check out your weekend farmers market or the local asian supermarket. A thick and creamy gravy is absolutely necessary for a Southern Biscuit and Gravy. Traditional sausage and gravy has those little burnt pieces of sausage in it, so we absolutely lean into that tradition with our oyster mushroom bits while cooking.
Start by cooking chopped/shredded oyster mushroom bits over medium low in some butter until slightly charred. Add additional butter to the pan and once melted add equal parts flour while stirring rapidly… it’s the same concept as a roux. Remove pan from heat (just for the process of whisking in buttermilk… being off heat helps to avoid clumping), and start whisking in buttermilk. I have dabbled with pouring in the milk slow and fast and honestly, it doesn’t make a difference if you’ve removed the pan from heat. Once its all whisked together, place pan back on the heat and stir for a few minutes with a wooden spoon (I don’t know why a wooden spoon…vibes?) until thick. If you’re not ready to eat right away, you can always thin in out again by adding more milk and stirring on low.
Top with Microgreens
You know what really visually levels this dish up? Microgreens. A future version of myself has created a microgreen garden and all of my dishes include them. That’s how much I love them. Taking pride in food and dishes through presentation is a form of self care. Athena Calderone has a lovely cookbook called “Cook Beautiful” that really opened my heart to ritual cooking. When we take the time and care to cook beautiful things and respect our ingredients, you will start to feel that energy in all aspects of your life. This idea of slow ritual cooking, has taught me an obnoxious amount of patience in the kitchen. Nailed it.
“Blessed Graceland whispers to me. Carry on, carry on. Sweet southern comfort, carry on.”
Buddy Jewell
