By First June weekend in Tulsa. Brayden is eighty-seven weeks old. The Travis-response was sent Thursday morning. The four-sentence draft was sent as written. The Facebook inbox now has a small reply-conversation thread instead of a one-message thread. There has been no response from him yet. I am not expecting one immediately.
The tomato gravy is Carol Bryant’s small Southern-breakfast-side — a roux-based gravy with the milk replaced by fresh-pureed tomatoes (or canned crushed tomatoes when fresh are not available), seasoned with bacon-fat, salt, pepper, and a small pinch of sugar. The gravy is served over biscuits as the small Southern alternative to the standard sausage-and-cream gravy. The dish is one of the small old-Memphis breakfast items that has earned its place in the Bryant cookbook.
The technique question on tomato gravy is the tomato-acidity balance. Tomato is acidic. The gravy needs the small pinch of sugar (about half a teaspoon per cup of tomato) to keep the acid from reading as sour. The bacon fat (rendered from two strips of cooked bacon) gives the gravy its small-savory back-note. The salt-and-pepper are the finishing touches.
Sunday I made it for Sunday brunch — biscuits, scrambled eggs, sausage links, and the tomato gravy. Dustin had two biscuits with the gravy. Brayden had a small piece of plain biscuit with a tiny dab of gravy (he is now old enough to try small bites of more adventurous flavors).
Mama and Cody have continued to run the small Sapulpa-cafe at its small steady-state pace. The breakfast rush moves through. The lunch-plate-special rotates daily. The Friday-regional-special slot keeps the small adventurous-element alive. Cody’s pop-up Tuesday continues to sell out within an hour of the Friday-menu-post.
The technique-detail I always lean on: the temperature of the cooking-surface matters more than the temperature in the recipe. A hot pan with cold ingredients fails. A medium pan with room-temperature ingredients succeeds. Let the small ingredients come to the small kitchen-temperature before the small cooking starts.
Tomato Gravy
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1/2 cup water or broth
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Pinch of garlic powder (optional)
- Biscuits, toast, or rice for serving
Instructions
- Build the roux. Heat bacon drippings or butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once melted and shimmering, whisk in the flour and cook for 1—2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a light golden color and smells nutty.
- Add the tomatoes. Pour in the canned diced tomatoes with all their juice. Stir well to combine with the roux, breaking up any lumps. The mixture will seize and thicken quickly — keep stirring.
- Thin and season. Add the water or broth a little at a time, stirring until the gravy reaches a pourable but thick consistency. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder if using.
- Simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the gravy cook for 8—10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it deepens in color and the tomatoes soften completely into the sauce.
- Taste and serve. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot over biscuits, buttered toast, or white rice. Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 4 days and reheat well with a splash of water.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg