Article by media partner Cuisine Noir, the country’s first Black culinary lifestyle outlet since 2009 dedicated to connecting the African diaspora through food, drink and travel.
Biscuits and gravy is a culinary combo made in foodie heaven. The buttery, flaky goodness of warm chive-cheddar biscuits paired with the savory richness of country sausage gravy is a comfort food staple that chef Melvin “Boots” Johnson has mastered.
The self-described Southern chef, popularly known as Chef Boots, exclusively reveals to Cuisine Noir the steps for serving up his acclaimed biscuits and gravy recipe.
Mixing Up Biscuits
“First thing you’ve got to do is make sure your butter is frozen,” instructs Chef Boots about a key ingredient for his signature biscuits and gravy recipe. Begin by grating the frozen butter (he likes to use a cheese grater).
He points out the grated, frozen butter will be incorporated with the biscuit dough to create “little flakes of butter that goes throughout your whole biscuit so you have those nice layers.”
Next, place your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and kosher salt) in a mixing bowl. “Add that grated, frozen butter along with shredded Cheddar cheese and dried chives. Mix it all together,” instructs Chef Boots. “Make a ‘well’ inside of the flour mixture—just like how you see people when they’re making pasta.” Set this aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and honey. “You whip that together to where the honey is infused with the buttermilk,” details the chef, who opts to use a large spoon to blend the ingredients.
“You’ll then pour the buttermilk and honey mixture into the center of the ‘well’ you created with the flour and other dry ingredients and mix it together,” he says.
“You could do this with an electric mixer, using the dough hook, slowly folding in the buttermilk and honey mixture, until it comes together,” notes Chef Boots.
“If you’re doing it by hand, you’re going to take your hand and kind of emulate a ‘paddle.’ You’ll slowly, as you’re going around the bowl, fold in some of the flour from the outside of your ‘well’ into the buttermilk/honey mixture. With your other hand you’ll keep turning your bowl around and around, creating that motion of a mixer. What you’re doing is folding [the ingredients] in slowly until it all comes together.”
GET THE FULL RECIPE: Harlem Biscuit Company’s Sausage and Gravy Biscuits
By Jocelyn Amador
