All Purpose Gravy Cooks Illustrated Novdec 2003 Recipes

ALL-PURPOSE GRAVY

Steps:

• In food processor, pulse carrot until broken into rough 1/4-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Add celery and onion; pulse until all vegetables are broken into 1/8-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.
• Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and WELL BROWNED, about 7 minutes (important step: browning will give the gravy great flavor). Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until THOROUGHLY BROWNED and fragrant, about 5 minutes (again the browning is very important step for flavor). Whisking constantly, gradually add broths; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
• NOTE: If you would like to double the recipe, use a Dutch oven to give the vegetables ample space for browning and increase the cooking times by roughly 50 percent. The finished gravy can be frozen. To thaw either a single or double recipe, place the gravy and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over low heat and bring slowly to a simmer. The gravy may appear broken or curdled as it thaws, but a vigorous whisking will recombine it.

CLASSIC GRAVY

Steps:

• Strain the turkey pan drippings into a fat separator or large liquid measuring cup; set aside. Place the empty turkey roasting pan across two burners over medium-high heat. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits, then cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute; add to the drippings.
• Spoon or pour off 1/2 cup of the fat from the drippings and return to the roasting pan over medium-high heat. (If you don't have enough fat to make 1/2 cup, add vegetable oil.) Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth and golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Whisk in the defatted drippings and enough broth to make 8 cups total liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until thickened, 15 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

MOM'S COUNTRY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Gradually stir in milk so that no lumps form, and continue cooking and stirring until thickened. If the gravy becomes too thick, you may thin it with a little more milk.

ALL-PURPOSE GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and well-browned (about 7 minutes).
• Reduce heat to medium.
• Add flour, stirring constantly, until well-browned (about 5 minutes).
• Gradually add broths while whisking constantly.
• Bring mixture to boil and skimming off any foam on surface.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes until thickened and reduced to 3 cups.
• Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer.
• Press on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Add salt & pepper to taste.
• To thaw frozen gravy:.
• Add gravy to pan with 1 tablespoon of water and warm on low heat until thawed.
• Gravy may appear to have separated.
• Whisk vigorously to recombine.

ALL PURPOSE GRAVY: RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Melt butter in large saucepan over med-high heat. Add the vegetables and cook until softened and well browned, about 25 minutes. The browner the vegetables, the darker the gravy will be. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned, about 10 mins. 2. Gradually whisk in the broths and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. 3. Discard the bay leaves and purée until smooth. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Test Kitchen Tip: The color and flavor of this gravy come from the cooking vegetables and flour until they are well-browned. It may seem as though they are turning too dark, but it is a step necessary to producing richly flavored and colored gravy. TO MAKE AHEAD; The gravy can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat over low heat, stirring to recombine, or microwave, stirring often, until warm and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. To thaw, place the gravy and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over low heat and bring to a simmer slowly. The gravy may appear broken or curdled as it thaws, but a vigorous whisking will recombine it.

ALL-PURPOSE GRAVY (COOKS ILLUSTRATED, NOV/DEC 2003)

Steps:

• 1. In food processor, pulse carrot until broken into rough 1/4 inch pieces, about five 1 second pulses. Add celery and onion; pulse until all vegetables are broken into 1/8 inch pieces, about five 1 second pulses. 2. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and well browned, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add broths; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, about 20-25 minutes. 3. Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve hot.