Stout Mushroom Gravy and Chicken with Beer Biscuits
I was once friends with a man who was 100 years old. We had a bit of an unlikely friendship, since he had reached retirement age long before I was even born. He was smart, funny, and seems to have no concept of the age gap.
Life was a constant opportunity to make people laugh, and he took full advantage of it.
When he moved to Los Angeles in the 1940’s to get his pneumonia stricken daughters out of the frigid East Coast winters, he was without money, without a job, and without an education. He walked in to a Taxi company headquarters and asked for a job. He had a fantastic driving record and a winning smile, in his book, that’s the only resume he needed. As soon as the hiring manager found out that he had only lived on the West Coast of a week, knew nothing about Los Angeles freeways, and had never driven a cab, he shut down the interview.
“If you don’t know how to get from LAX to the Roosevelt Hotel, how are you going to get the client there??”
Jack responded with this famous smile, “Well if you don’t give me the cab, it’s gonna take a whole lot longer!”
He got the job.
Jack worked as a cab driver, running tourist from the Airport to Hollywood for over 30 years. He was also the very first Employee of the Month for the cab company, and to date, the recipient of the most complimentary letters ever sent to the cab company about any one of their employees.
As I sat with him only a few months before his 101’s birthday, eating biscuits that his nurse had made us, I asked him if he had any regrets.
“Not really. The secret to living 100 years old and not regretting anything is this: Do your best. Don’t hurt anyone. Make friends with anyone who will let you.”
Stout Mushroom Gravy and Chicken with Beer Biscuits
Ingredients
For the Biscuits:
- 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2/3 cup Belgian ale or wheat beer
- 2 tbs melted butter
- ¼ tsp course sea salt
For the Chicken and Gravy:
- 3 tbs butter
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup chopped yellow onion
- 8 wt oz chopped crimini mushrooms
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup beef stock
- ¾ cup stout beer
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbs honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
- Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
- Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
- Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you the flakey layers).
- Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
- Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- While the biscuits bake, make the gravy.
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
- Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear on each side until golden brown, remove from the pan, chop (they do not need to be cooked through).
- Add the onions, cook until softened, about five minutes. Add the mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are dark brown and soft.
- Sprinkle with flour, cook until the flour has turned brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef stock and stout. Simmer until thickened. Add the chicken cubes back into the pan, simmer until cooked through.
- Add the cream, honey, stir until well combined.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Split the biscuits, fill with gravy.
