Preparing smooth and savory gravy is easier than you may think. The trick to avoiding lumps is to use a roux as a thickener for gravy. A roux is a combination of fat like butter or oil, and flour. As a general rule of thumb, a half a cup of roux will thicken four cups of liquid to make a gravy. Any type of liquid can be added to a roux to make gravy including the broth or stock from beef, pork or chicken.
If you’re roasting a turkey, use the drippings from the roasting pan to make the roux, and turkey broth to make the gravy.
First, heat four cups of turkey broth, chicken broth, or a combination of broth and water in a sauce pan until it’s hot but not boiling. Transfer the cooked turkey from the roasting pan, and set it on a cutting board to rest before carving. Transfer the liquid in the pan into a fat separator so that the fat can separate from the water-based liquids.
Next, place the roasting pan over two burners on the stove over medium heat. Deglaze the pan by adding a half a cup of stock or white wine. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits. Pour off the liquid from the roasting pan into the sauce pan of hot broth. Add the drippings to the stock, and then add a quarter cup of fat to the roasting pan and heat over medium heat. Whisk in a quarter cup of all-purpose flour. Cook gently, stirring constantly until the flour loses its raw smell and the mixture becomes golden in color. Cooking the flour enhances the thickening power of the roux, and adds color and nutty flavor to the gravy.
Whisk in the hot turkey broth and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently for five minutes or until thickened. Lastly, season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the gravy to a warm gravy bowl and hear what I’m saying? “Pass the gravy bowl, please”.
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