Jenna's Cooking Journey: Biscuits & Gravy {SRC Reveal}

It's the first Monday of the month which means one thing: Secret Recipe Club reveal for Group A. This month I was assigned to Jenna's Cooking Journey. Meet Jenna who admits: "I didn't really cook until I reached college, and even then had a lot of cooking mishaps.  The mishaps may have come from my inexperience cooking, but sometimes they came from cooking at high altitude.  Now that I'm married, there is someone else to eat my cooking, and I don't have to get stuck with leftovers for two weeks, so now I'm expanding my cooking horizons even further."

Looking through her blog, there were several recipes that caught my eye, including a Horseradish-Crusted Filets, Better Than Sex Cake (hmmm...I'm dubious), and her Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Loin. But I ultimately decided to make a variation of her Biscuits and Gravy.

Biscuits and Gravy

slightly adapted from Jenna's Cooking Journey

Biscuits

2 C white whole wheat flour

2 T organic granulated sugar 

1 T baking powder

2/3 C milk

1/3 C butter, softened

Gravy

1/2 lb of ground turkey
1/2 C cubetti (cubed pancetta)

2 T white whole wheat flour

2 cups milk (I used 1%.)

1 T butter, softened

1 t chopped fresh dill
1 t chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

For Biscuits:

1) Preheat oven to 450 F. Grease a large baking stone and set aside.

2) Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the milk and softened butter until a crumbly dough forms. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

3) Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness and, using a heart cookie cutter, cut into 15 small hearts.

4)  Place hearts on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

For Gravy:

1) Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cubetti and cook for an additional minute.

2) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.

3) Whisk the flour into the fat and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.

4) While whisking, pour the milk and butter into the skillet and bring the gravy to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached.

5) Stir in the meat and season with pepper, salt, and fresh herbs. Place the biscuits on the plate and top each biscuit with some gravy. Serve immediately.