Vegetarian biscuits and mushroom sauce

A comforting dish in 30 minutes!

Ingredients :

For the biscuits

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

For the sauce

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 340 g mushrooms (preferably Paris and Cremini mushrooms), thinly sliced
• 2 small shallots, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach, firmly packed
• Freshly ground black pepper, for serving (optional)

Preparation

When I want something warm and comforting, I make biscuits and gravy . It feels like a hug or a soft blanket.

These are quick and easy cream cookies .

The biscuits are topped with a vegetarian mushroom sauce that is sumptuous, creamy and delicious without being too rich and heavy.

The Biscuits

I love a good buttery, flaky biscuit .

These cookies are made with lots of fresh thyme. The herbs make the cookies extra special, but they'll be wonderful without it. The choice is yours.

The most important thing to remember is not to overwork the dough . Instead of kneading the dough , use your hands to gather the dough and shape it into a flat circle—the dry bits will come together automatically.

The dough will be very sticky, so make sure your work surface and cookie cutter are generously floured. Once you have cut out 3 cookies, carefully gather the scraps to cut out a few more cookies. You will have 6 in total. The second batch may not rise as high as the first, but that's okay.

A few words about mushrooms

This recipe calls for a mix of cremini and button mushrooms . Feel free to use any mushrooms you like.

When purchasing mushrooms, look for ones that are firm to the touch. Avoid mushrooms that are soft, moist, or dried out.

There are several ways to clean mushrooms :

• The quickest way is to soak them in water for a minute or two, then dry them with a clean towel.
• The second method, my favorite, is to peel the mushrooms . Admittedly, this isn't the quickest and it's a bit fiddly. After cutting off the stem, use a paring knife to grab the top layer under the cap (where the top meets the skirt-like part under the cap). Peel it toward the center and remove it. Repeat this process all the way around the mushroom cap until the entire outer layer is removed.

Make sure the mushrooms are well dried after cleaning and make sure the pan is very hot. Cook the mushrooms before adding the other ingredients to get a good browning and really bring out the flavor. Stir them frequently so they brown evenly.

Tips for making the sauce

Making the sauce can be the trickiest part of this recipe, but if there is a problem, there are ways to salvage it.

• When making the roux (flour and butter), remember to stir, stir, stir, unless you want it to burn...

• If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little milk to thin it.
• A sauce that is too runny can be thickened with a mixture of one tablespoon of water and cornstarch or flour. Slowly stir it into the sauce over medium-low heat until it thickens.

Variants (some Vegan!)

Baby spinach is added to the sauce for a little color. Plus, I think it makes it a complete meal —no need to make a vegetable side dish (although that would be delicious).

You can add other vegetables of your choice to the sauce. Vegetables that take longer to cook , such as carrots and broccoli , should be cooked until tender-crisp before adding them to the sauce.

Looking for a vegan version? Here is a recipe for wonderful vegan biscuits. To make the sauce, use equal amounts of vegan butter in place of butter and use your favorite plant-based milk in place of whole milk .

Storing and Reheating Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy

Cookies are best the first day, shortly after removing them from the oven. That said, they are still delicious the next day when reheated in a 350°F oven for about seven minutes.

To store, wrap biscuits in foil . Sauce should be stored in an airtight container . Refrigerate sauce for up to four days and biscuits for up to one week. Sauce reheats well in the microwave .

Special equipment

• 5cm round cookie cutter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220° (425°F)
2. Combine the dry ingredients:

Use a sieve or fine mesh strainer set over alarge bowl to sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

3. Add the thyme and heavy cream:

Sprinkle thyme over flour mixture. Pour in heavy cream. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to combine ingredients until flour is moistened and dough appears ragged. It's okay to have a little dry flour. Don't overwork the dough as this will result in dense cookies.

4. Roll out the dough:

Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Use your hands to bring the dough together so it holds together and shape it into a circle about 1 inch thick.

5. Shape the cookies:

Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter into a small bowl of flour. Cut the dough into circles, pressing straight down and lifting straight up.

Cut out three cookies and place them on a large, ungreased baking sheet . Gather the dough together and gently shape into a 1-inch-thick circle again. Try not to knead or overwork the dough .

Cut out three more biscuits and place them on the baking sheet. Leave 5 cm between each biscuit.

6. Bake the cookies:

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies begin to show a light golden brown color on top. Remove the cookies from the oven and set aside. It is okay to leave the cookies on the baking sheet.

Nutritional information (per share):

• Calories: 607
• Lipids: 41 g
• Carbohydrates: 51 g
• Protein: 11 g

I hope you enjoy this delicious cooking recipe !! Feel free to leave a comment.

Elise.B

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