Culture Magazine

C O O K I N G W I T H C H E E S E 202 3 culturecheesemag.com 63 HUEVOS RANCHEROS Written by Molly Shuster Use the best tomatoes you can find and be sure they are ripe. Feel free to make the sauce ahead of time; reheat before serving. Serves 4 EGGS: 1 pound ripe tomatoes (about 2 to 3 medium tomatoes) 2 serrano chilies ½ white onion 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 8 corn tortillas Canola oil, for frying 8 eggs Kosher salt, to taste TO SERVE: 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese Sliced chilies Chopped avocado Chopped cilantro Lime wedges Heat broiler. Pack tomatoes, serranos, and onion (cut side up) together on a rimmed baking sheet and broil, 2 to 3 inches away from heat source, 4 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until vegetables are deep brown and charred in places. (The onion and serranos will cook faster than the tomatoes—you may need to remove them sooner.) Remove seeds from serranos and discard. Place serranos in bowl of a food processor with remaining broiled vegetables, pan juices, and garlic. Process until smooth. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add pureed vegetables and cook, stirring, 10 to 12 minutes, until sauce is heated through and reduced slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Keep warm over low heat. Heat tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one at a time, until warm and lightly blistered on both sides, about 30 seconds per side. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm. Add canola oil to a large nonstick skillet and warm over medium-high heat. Fry eggs in 2 batches. Sprinkle with salt. Place 2 tortillas on each plate. Spoon tomato sauce onto each tortilla and top each with a fried egg. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and additional toppings. SMOKED CHEDDAR BISCUITS WITH SPICY SAUSAGE GRAVY Written by Cassy Vires Photographed by Jennifer Silverberg These biscuits are best the day they're made, but the gravy can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time. Serves 8 BISCUITS: 8 ounces sliced applewood-smoked bacon 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt Pinch cayenne pepper ¹⁄ ³ cup lard, chilled 8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, grated 1 cup whole milk GRAVY: 1 pound fresh spicy pork sausage, casings removed ¹⁄ ³ cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 to 4 cups whole milk Pinch ground nutmeg Pinch cayenne pepper TO SERVE: Chopped scallions Fried eggs Smoked cheddar cheese, grated BISCUITS: Heat oven to 325°F with a rack in upper third of oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Fry bacon over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then crumble finely. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl. Add chilled lard and cut into flour with a pastry cutter until texture resembles coarse meal. Add crumbled bacon, cheese, and milk and stir just until ingredients are well moistened. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times. Pat dough into a ½-inch-thick square and stamp out biscuits with a 2-inch biscuit cutter or rim of a glass. Pat scraps together and stamp out more biscuits. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet half an inch apart and bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. GRAVY: While biscuits are baking, wipe out skillet used for bacon and crumble sausage into it. Cook over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to paper towel–lined plate. Leave drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk flour into pan drippings until combined. Continue to whisk and cook for another 2 minutes or so, until flour mixture is smooth and light brown. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in 3 cups milk. Return sausage to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. If gravy gets too thick, add up to 1 cup more milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, to achieve desired texture. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. TO SERVE: Split biscuits and top with sausage gravy. Garnish with chopped scallions, fried eggs, and additional smoked cheddar cheese. Smoked Cheddar Biscuits with Spicy Sausage Gravy

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