Evil, Evil, Evil

Seriously, this is bacon gravy--you read correctly--BACON GRAVY. 

Hubby and I were watching Triple D on the Food Network channel. Guy Fieri mentioned the whole show would be filmed at his home town, Ferndale, CA. We've been there! Did the tourist thing of looking at all the many Victorian homes the town is known for. At 11:00 am, we were in a hardware store and one clerk yelled to the other, "what do you want today?" The clerk assisting me yelled, "sourdough." By the time we asked for an explanation, it would have been too late to get in line or add our order to the clerks'. The asking clerk had already run down the street. The donut shop opened. Tractors were pulling up on the street, the USPS truck stopped and a lot of screeching brakes were heard. Hubby went down the street to see what few pickings might be left and was sold the last baked doughnut. The coffee shop next door was out of coffee......That's our memory of Ferndale, CA.
Watching this show about this fun town was so much fun. Guy featured a hotel that was taken over by a family and is now serving some excellent Italian food. Now there is a new bakery featuring ham scones with bacon gravy. I will share this recipe with you, but starve yourself for a week before enjoying this gravy on either a ham scone or biscuits. Yes, do serve it over biscuits. Anyone needing a new husband out there? This would do your woo-ing.


Bacon Gravy Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 to 4 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces OR 1/4 cup bacon grease (see note below)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cups milk

Instructions

1. First cut the bacon into small pieces. Put it into a large skillet and fry it over medium heat. The bacon will release it’s fat.
2. When the bits of bacon are well browned, remove from pan. Stir in the flour. Continue stirring until the flour absorbs all of the fat.
3. Add the salt, sugar and black pepper. Start out with the smaller amount of pepper and add more later if desired.
4. Slowly stir in the milk. Use a whisk or a fork to prevent lumps. Continue stirring until the gravy boils.
5. Allow it to boil gently for about 5 minutes. It will thicken nicely. Add back the bacon.
6. Serve over toast or biscuits or mashed potatoes, your shoes, cinnamon doughnuts, etc.

NOTE: If you don’t have bacon, but you do have bacon grease, then use 1/4 cup of bacon grease instead of the bacon. Heat it in the skillet until it is bubbly. Stir in the flour and proceed as directed.

Because I wing it with recipes like this, the bakery used a pound of bacon and added some cream, heavy cream, adjust according to your taste. Just remember to put the bacon back in.
He also featured nearby cheese shop and an apple cider place. Our next visit to that region will include every place he went. We are going to check what happened to the doughnut shop. Oh! did I mention that at the new bakery, they make mega cinnamon-pecan rolls? Diet? what diet? We are going to hug some redwood trees. I am afraid what will happen to our preserved parks in our country, so I must hug.