Recipe: Biscuits in Gravy, Richemuloise-Style
I’ve made this so many times now I could do it in my sleep, and sometimes I think I have. The scent of sausage and onion, the crackle of butter hitting the hot cast iron, the steam rising from a hearth oven in deep winter… they follow me from life to life like a ghost I never asked for, but don’t entirely mind.
My mother called them “first snow biscuits.” She’d pull me up on a stool so I could press my hands into the flour. Her voice behind me, patient, but brisk, would guide each step: “Fold, not stir. Cold butter only. Press, don’t twist.” I was too young to understand why those rules mattered, but the warmth that rose from the oven made them gospel.
Richemulot winters have a way of soaking into your bones, wet, long, and gray as smoke. But inside, when this was on the table, it was easier to believe spring would come again.
These days, I make it when the weight of the mists gets too close, when I miss voices I can no longer hear, or when I need to remember that comfort can still rise, even when nothing else does.
Biscuits in Gravy, Richemuloise-Style
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 fork or pastry cutter
- 1 Rolling Pin or a clean wine bottle
- 1 floured board or surface
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 6 oven-safe ramekins
- 1 wide iron baking tray for catching drips
- 1 baking oven
Materials
For the Herb Biscuits
- 2 3/4 cups sifted flour
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup butter cubed
- 3 tbsp lard or rendered goose fat
- 2/3 cup fresh herbs chive, parsley, thyme, and sage are common
- 3/4 cup hard grated cheese aged goat, sheep's cheese, or farmhouse cheddar
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
For the Gravy
- 1 tbsp butter or goose fat
- 1 large sweet yellow onion chopped
- 12 oz ground pork meat seasoned with salt, sage, and pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cup goat's or cow's milk
- Remaining chopped herbs
- To Taste salt and pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Biscuits
- Heat the oven to a High Flame. Grease the six ramekins with butter or lard.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2½ cups flour, honey, and salt.
- Cut in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles coarse meal or damp sand.
- Fold in ¼ cup of the herbs, the cheese, and black pepper.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead gently 10–12 times. Roll to ¾-inch thickness. Cut into 6 rounds using a floured knife or mug rim.
Make the Gravy
- In a cast-iron skillet, melt butter or fat. Add chopped onion and cook until golden.
- Stir in the pork and cook until browned.
- Sprinkle in flour and stir until sausage is well coated.
- Slowly pour in milk and cider, stirring constantly until thickened.
- Add remaining herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.
Assemble & Bake
- Spoon gravy into the greased ramekins. Nestle a biscuit round on top of each.
- Place ramekins into a wide iron baking tray to catch any spills.
- Bake 20–25 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the gravy bubbles at the edges.
- Let rest before serving. Add more herbs on top if you like a flourish.