Okie Girl Eats: Chocolate & Biscuits

 Chocolate and biscuits.  Sometimes they are called biscuits with chocolate gravy.  This recipe comes from the McClure side of my husbands family.  Mav remembers eating them as a child but hadn't had them since.  

His and my family come from similar backgrounds.  My dad is from New Jersey and his New York, my mom, as I explained here, was an Okie and his mom was born in Texas. 

 That's his grandpa JT in the first picture with the sailor.  Look at his outfit!  I love the leather jacket, open collar and striped shirt.  

JT left Texas and rode the rails out to So. California in the 40's where he met and married Mav's grandma Delight.  Judging by his clothes and the fact he was single without a family to provide for I have concluded life for him in California was much different than my Okie relatives.  

The people coming to California from Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas were all referred to as "Okies."  Only amongst themselves were the differences noted.  JT would tell of when Spade Cooley would start his show with "Let's have Okies on the left, Arkies on the right and Texans down the middle."  This was  a preventive measure for the fights that were sure to break out.  

So although our families are slightly different, there still are many similarities and one of them is food.  I don't know why I never had chocolate and biscuits before, but I am sure glad I have now.  

Here is the family recipe.  I hope you enjoy them.  I should say I hope you try them- because if you do, I know you will enjoy them. 

Oh, and according to Mav we ate the lowfat version.  We didn't put butter on our biscuits before pouring on the chocolate.  That is how they did it when he was little. 

• 1.5 cups of sugar
• .5 tsp salt
• 2.5 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 c. milk
• 3 squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped (3 oz.)
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1.5 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour in saucepan.  Gradually stir in milk.  Add chocolate.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil 1 minute.   Remove from heat.  Slowly stir half the mixture into the beaten egg yolks.  Then blend the egg mixture into the hot mixture.  Boil 1 minute more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and blend in butter and vanilla.  Cut hot biscuits in half.  Put a pat of butter on  hot biscuits and spoon hot chocolate gravy on top of biscuits.

Quick version: Cook large sized box of chocolate pudding (not instant) pour over hot canned biscuits.