White Pepper Gravy ~ Vegan Recipe ~ This Wife Cooks™ (2024)

FAQs

Is country gravy and white gravy the same thing? ›

There is no difference. In the South, country gravy and white gravy are used interchangeably and both for the same type of thick, creamy gravy made with butter, flour, and milk. You may also hear these gravies called sawmill gravy, and some people use this recipe but add sausage for a sausage gravy.

The term "sawmill gravy" comes from early logging camp food and old-time sawmills. It was originally made with cornmeal, bacon drippings, milk, and seasonings. This resulted in a somewhat gritty gravy; in fact, rumor has it that the loggers would accuse the cooks of putting sawdust in the recipe!

Country gravy, also called sawmill gravy or white gravy, is a staple of hearty Southern cooking. It can be used as a creamy blanket for chicken fried steak or to accompany a plate of freshly baked biscuits at breakfast time. This recipe is a down-home classic that takes just 15 minutes to pull together.

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful. Homemade stock, even made with chicken stock rather than turkey, will produce a superior gravy—so it's worth the effort.

Cream gravy, or white gravy (sawmill gravy) is a bechamel sauce made using fats from meat—such as sausage or bacon—or meat drippings from roasting or frying meats.

White gravy as made in the Southern US is the simplest dish around. It's a white sauce (béchamel) but made with fat from meats cooked for the meal. It is normally made from breakfast sausage or bacon and served over buttermilk biscuits.

Sawmill Gravy

A creamy skillet gravy made with drippings, this staple—known by many now as just "sausage gravy" or "country gravy"—can be said to bolster up the entire Southern breakfast menu, and nobody makes it better than the old-fashioned, country-style breakfast joint in your hometown or your own grandma.

Onion Gravy or Traditional British Gravy is what British people call gravy. Americans call it Brown Gravy, White Gravy (sawmill gravy or Breakfast Gravy), which is topped on biscuits. Brits don't put gravy on biscuits.

It consists of milk or cream, meat grease, flour, salt, and plenty of pepper. It can be either a white or light brown gravy, depending on the fat (butter or meat drippings).

What is broken gravy? ›

What does it mean when a sauce breaks? A broken sauce is generally caused by the separation of sauces into two components: a watery liquid and an oily film on top. This happens when there's too much fat or liquid in the mixture.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly.

If you're looking for a good peppercorn substitute, try using papaya seeds. The seeds have a similar texture to peppercorns and a similar pungent flavor. You can also use chili powder, allspice or cayenne pepper to achieve a similar heat and flavor to peppercorns.

This basic sauce is prepared with ingredients you likely already have on hand: butter, flour, milk, salt, and pepper. For a bit of heat, a pinch of cayenne can be added as well.

White pepper, like black pepper, is made from the berries of the pepper plant, also known as the Piper nigrum. Unlike black pepper, however, white pepper comes from berries that are picked at full ripeness. These berries are then soaked in water to ferment.

Translating to bái hújiāo (白胡椒) in Chinese, white pepper is used in soups, marinades, sauces, stir-fries, and more. You may be surprised to know, for instance, that it's white pepper, and not chili that lends that slow burning heat to your favorite takeout hot and sour soup.