Southern Biscuits With White Beech Mushrooms, Gravy & Pink Peppercorns

Southern Biscuits

With White Beech Mushrooms, Gravy & Pink Peppercorns

Serves 6

This is a wonderful example of how a staple recipe can be transformed into a fresh, healthy, plant based dish. A southern American classic breakfast, dressed up with beautiful ingredients to create a meal suitable for an elegant lunch or dinner. Rich in flavours and textures, this will undoubtably impress.

Ingredients

- For the mushroom gravy -

1 tbsp vegan butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

400g white beech mushrooms, trimmed and separated*

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

1 tsp dry thyme

1 tsp pink peppercorns in brine

80ml Marsala wine

200 ml soy cream (or any plant based cream)

A splash of soy milk (or any plant based milk of your choice)

- For the biscuits -

140g plain white unbleached flour, plus extra for rolling

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp vegan block butter, cold (we use Naturli or homemade)

250ml unsweetened soy milk (or any plant based milk of your choice)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (half a lemon, squeezed)

- To serve -

1 tsp pink peppercorns in brine

Some fresh finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Start by preparing the biscuits.

Preheat the oven at 230C and line a baking tray with baking or silicone paper.

In a small jug, measure the milk and the lemon juice. Stir and leave for a few minutes to curdle.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda and the salt. Throw in the cold butter in small chunks and mix well with your hands, breaking up the butter and creating a breadcrumb consistency. Pour in the curdled milk and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. The dough will be soft and sticky.

Flour a working surface and empty the dough. Sprinkle more flour on top and, using as few movements as possible, begin to fold the dough onto itself a few times. Gently smooth it out with a rolling pin, maintaining a thickness of about an inch, or 2.5cm.

Using a round cookie cutter, or a glass, or mug, begin to cut out sections of the dough and placing them on the prepared tray, just touching and leaving no space between them. Re-roll any leftover dough and repeat until it has all been used.

Bake the biscuits in the oven for 20 minutes, until they have risen and coloured slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside.

- To make the gravy -

Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the shallots over low heat till they are soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms, the soy sauce, the veggie stock powder, the thyme and the peppercorns and stir over medium high heat for a few minutes.

Add the wine and keep stirring until it evaporates and the mushrooms are cooked. Remove half of the mushrooms and set aside.

Pour in the cream and keep stirring until it begins to thicken. Transfer to a blender and blend everything until very smooth. Put the smooth gravy in a sauce pan and check the seasoning. If it’s too thick, add a little milk to loosen it slightly. When you are pleased with it, set aside and reheat before serving.

To serve, place a biscuit on each plate, whole, or cut in half and pour the hot gravy on top. Spoon some of the reserved mushrooms over each biscuit and sprinkle with a few pink peppercorns, some freshly ground pepper and some finely chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Notes

White beech mushrooms grow in clusters of edible stems and caps. The base of the cluster should be cut and discarded. They have a wonderful buttery, nutty flavour and acquire a firm and lovely texture when cooked.

White beech mushrooms are rich in protein and contain many B vitamins, potassium, zinc and copper. They are rich in fibre and in immunity boosting beta-glucan polysaccharides, also known to protect against cancer.

* If you can’t get hold of white beech mushrooms, you can use other types such as sliced button, or chestnut mushrooms instead.

Left over biscuits can be stored wrapped in a cloth and enjoyed with savoury or sweet accompaniments.