Classic Make Ahead Gravy Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange a single layer of turkey wings in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onions over the top of the wings. Roast in the preheated oven for 1-1/4 hours or until wings are browned.
• Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Add water to roasting pan and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the the water from the pan into the stockpot. Stir in 6 cups broth, carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours.
• Remove wings from the pot and place on a cutting board. When the wings are cool, pull off the skin and meat. Discard the skin and save the meat for another use. Strain contents of stockpot through a large strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Press on the vegetables to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat off the liquid. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle boil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups chicken broth until smooth. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering turkey broth; simmer 3-4 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Stir in the butter and pepper. Serve immediately or pour into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on the onions, stirring constantly, and cook until flour is golden to brown. Adjust heat so mixture does not burn.
• Gradually whisk in 4 cups stock until mixture thickens and is smooth. If it is too thick, add liquid. Cool, cover and chill.
• When ready to serve, reheat mixture over low heat, stirring. Scrape bottom of turkey pan and add drippings or giblets to gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery and thyme until vegetables are very soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in flour and cook until just beginning to brown, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
• Gradually stir in 2 cups broth. Cook, stirring frequently with a whisk, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes; cool. Refrigerate gravy base and remaining 2 cups broth up to 2 days before serving.
• When turkey is finished roasting, remove from pan to let rest. Skim fat from pan drippings. Add turkey pan drippings to refrigerated gravy base in a medium saucepan; heat over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add reserved broth 1/4 cup at a time until desired thickness. Simmer until heated through and serve.

ULTIMATE MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is light brown and smooth. Slowly whisk in 4 cups stock. Increase heat to high; bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; stir in sage and next 4 ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes or until desired thickness.
• To make ahead, cool gravy completely. Cover and chill up to 3 days. Cook gravy and, if desired, 5 to 6 Tbsp. stock in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes or until hot.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the turkey wings and cook, undisturbed, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir, then continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 5 more minutes. Add the celery, onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water, the thyme and bay leaves; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Add the turkey stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Add the dried mushrooms, if using, and simmer until reduced by one-third, about 30 minutes.
• Mix the butter and flour in a small bowl to make a paste. Stir into the simmering gravy and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat.
• Combine the turkey wings, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a large pot. Add 2 gallons cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low or medium low to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Simmer the stock about 4 hours, occasionally skimming any scum that rises to the surface with a spoon. Strain into another pot, discarding the bones and vegetables. Let the stock cool completely. (For faster cooling, set the pot of stock in a large bowl; add enough ice water to the bowl to come about halfway up the sides of the pot and let cool, stirring the stock occasionally.) Transfer the stock to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook chicken wings, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring and turning wings often, until everything in pan is deeply browned, 14-16 minutes. Add herbs and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add stock and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by a third, 35-40 minutes.
• Strain fortified stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. (You should have about 4 cups. If you don't, add enough stock or water to get you there.) Discard solids. Keep fortified stock warm while you make your roux.
• Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is golden brown and looks smooth and shiny, about 4 minutes.
• Whisking constantly, ladle fortified stock into roux, pouring in gradually and making sure to incorporate after each addition before adding more. Simmer, whisking often, until gravy is thickened and reduced to about 3 cups (it should coat a spoon), 8-10 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, taste, and season with salt and pepper
• Do Ahead
• Gravy can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat over low before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD THANKSGIVING GRAVY

Steps:

• To make the stock: Peel and quarter the onion into wedges and cut the carrot and celery stalks into several large pieces. Chop each chicken wing into three pieces using a heavy chef's knife or cleaver.
• Heat a large heavy pot or, better, a wide Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and brown the wing pieces thoroughly. Remove to a plate or bowl.
• Place the onion wedges cut-side down in the bottom of the pot and scatter the carrots and celery around. Cook, without moving, until the surface of the onion is dark brown. Then flip and cook the other flat side in the same manner. As the onion is cooking, move the carrots and celery so that they brown as well, but the important thing is browning the onion.
• When the second side of the onion is dark brown, add the thyme, sage, and peppercorns and return the chicken to the pot. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, stirring for about 15 seconds and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour. (If steam starts belching out from under the lid, turn the heat down a bit.)
• Kill the heat and let the pot sit, still covered, for 30 minutes. Then strain the stock through a colander set over a tall, medium saucepot. You should have approximately 5 cups of liquid. Discard the solids as they've given their all.
• Bring the strained stock to a boil over high heat yet again, then reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors. After this you should be left with about 3 cups. Strain through a fine sieve into a fat separator and cool long enough for the fat to settle on top. Then pour off the stock into another container, seal and refrigerate. The stock can be kept chilled for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
• To make the gravy: Whisk the miso, Worcestershire sauce, dark brown sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper into the 2 cups of stock.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan or saucier over medium-low heat. When the foaming, subsides whisk in the flour. Continue to cook, whisking, until the foaming stops and the roux darkens slightly to light blonde, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While whisking constantly, slowly pour the stock mixture into the roux. Boost the heat to medium and whisk until the gravy gently bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. At this point it should heavily coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more black pepper.
• If there are any signs of lumps, strain through a fine sieve into a gravy boat to serve or another vessel to cool and store. You may need to use a serving spoon to push it through the sieve. The gravy can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months then reheated gently for service or, as mentioned above, kept hot in a thermos.

BEST GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange 3½ pounds turkey wings and 1 turkey neck (optional) on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning turkey halfway through, until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer wings and neck to a stockpot. Pour off fat from baking sheet; discard. Pour 2 cups water onto baking sheet. Scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour liquid from sheet into pot with turkey. Add 1 chopped large onion, 1 peeled and chopped large carrot, 1 chopped celery stalk, 4 sprigs parsley, 4 sprigs thyme, 12 whole peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer gently until stock is reduced by at least one-third, about 4 hours.
• Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. If you have more than 6 cups stock, simmer uncovered over medium heat until reduced to 6 cups. Let cool. Pour stock into an airtight container; cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Stock can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Stock can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
• Melt ⅓ cup unsalted butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Whisk in ⅓ cup all-purpose flour. Reduce heat to low; whisk until roux is golden brown, about 2 minutes. DO AHEAD: Roux can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool, cover, and chill.
• Bring 6 cups Make-Ahead Turkey Stock to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1-2 cups skimmed and strained roast turkey drippings. (If you're short on drippings, skim fat from pan and add 1-2 cups water. Scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon; strain liquid into stock.) Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in roux. Reduce heat to low; simmer gently for 5 minutes for gravy to thicken and flavors to meld. You're done! VARIATIONS (for every 6 cups of gravy:): Option 1: Reduce 1½ cups dry white wine in a small saucepan to 1 cup; stir into gravy. Option 2: Add 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce. Option 3: Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider and simmer for 5 minutes.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Place turkey wings and onions in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 1-1/4 hours, turning once., Transfer wings and onions to a Dutch oven. Add 6 cups broth, carrots, celery and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. , Strain; discard wings and vegetables. (Can be made ahead to this point and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) Skim fat from cooking liquid. Add enough remaining broth to measure 3-1/2 cups; set aside., In a large saucepan, whisk flour and remaining broth until smooth. Gradually stir in cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in butter and pepper.

EASY MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour.
• Cook over medium-high heat until flour is incorporated and white bubbles begin to form on the top of the roux.
• Cook the roux for 2-3 minute after the white bubbles have formed, whisking constantly.
• Gradually add the broth, whisking constantly until the gravy is thickened and comes to a boil.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• At this point, you can cool, cover and refrigerate the gravy base for as long as 4 days. Reheat in a medium-sized pan. When turkey is done, skim off fat and pour drippings into gravy base and bring it to serving temperature.

TASTY MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then fry the onion, carrot and bay, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden. Stir in the flour, then pour in the stock while stirring. Simmer for 15 mins. Discard the bay leaf, then purée the contents of the pan with a hand blender until completely smooth. Cool, then chill. Can be made 2 days ahead.
• When you take the turkey from the oven (see 'goes well with', right), pour the juices from the tin into a deep but narrow jug or bowl. Leave to stand so that excess oil from the turkey rises to the top. Skim off as much fat as you can and discard, then pour the juices into a pan with the gravy base and stir over the heat until bubbling. Season to taste.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the chicken wings into a roomy roasting tin with the turkey neck (if using), carrots, onions, celery and thyme. Scatter over the sugar, toss in the oil and roast for 50 mins until brown and lightly charred.
• Get the kettle on. Put the roasting tin on a low heat, stir in the tomato purée and flour, and cook until sticky. Splash in the balsamic vinegar, then pour over 1.5 litres water to just cover all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Crumble in the stock cube and use a potato masher to mash all the ingredients together to release the flavour.
• Simmer everything for 20 mins until you have a tasty thickened gravy, then strain it through a sieve, pushing down hard on all the mushy veg. Cool and chill for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Heat the gravy to serve, adding roasting juices from your turkey, if you like.