I was off the grid from Thursday morning until today. Otherwise I would have replied when you first posted.
I would have suggested that you first make a dark-ish roux: melt butter, add an equal amount of flour, cook until a dark tan, and smells toasty. This adds a nice flavor to gravy. I'd whisk that in a bit at a time, letting the gravy cook for about a minute after each addition to let it thicken properly.
I'd deal with the Worcestershire sauce problem by adding 1/4 cup dry white wine + a pinch of dried or fresh thyme leaves, and letting that simmer for a few minutes. If it still tasted too strong, I'd add a couple tablespoons of cognac.
If that didn't work, I'd do what you did, but I would save the gravy and freeze it, to use in the future as the basis for more gravy made with pan drippings + stock, adding the gravy perhaps at a ration of 2 parts new stock to 1 part gravy, tasting to make sure it's okay. It would also work nicely in a pot pie with leftover turkey + more aromatics and herbs + carrots, celery, etc.
I really wish I knew why your gravy did not thicken. Mine always turns out perfectly - though we may like ours a bit on the thin side. As others noted, the ratio is standard.
Finally, I'll edit the recipe to change the amount of Worcestershire, suggesting it be added 1/4 teaspoon at a time, to taste.
It was definitely flour (wondra like she Suggested) and only 1 tsp of Worcestershire so I agree everything should have been ok. I ended up making a new gravy from the pan drippings and chicken broth from my freezer but it was a bit salty and I was very upset I had wasted all that time making the other stock ahead of time from the backbone and neck.
Are you sure you didn’t get the wrong container and use something other than flour for the roux? I used powdered sugar instead of flour to make creamed spinach and needless to say, it was not a success.
If Worcestershire bothers you, perhaps you can add other flavorings to compensate for it. However, it will be a completely different gravy. I think that a little bit of orange zest, a drop of orange juice or sherry could help....
It looks like it should work. You can make a flour butter roux. 4 TBS softened butter and 4 TBS flour. Make it into a paste. Bring your gravy to a simmer and add several blobs of the paste. Whisk and bring to a simmer. Add more paste as needed. With only one tsp of Worcestershire, I don't see how it could over power the taste unless I miss read it.
Thanks Ali. There was a recent thread about gravy tragedies and AJ saved the day with her mother's method. I was thinking she used that, but I can't seem to find it.
Can you link the recipe? Or, if was from that thread where she posted her mom's recipe, post the name of the thread and I'll take a look. I can't find it in recipes.
I'm sorry to hear it doesn't taste good! You may want to add more wine to offset the Worcestershire. If this batch really isn't working for you, though, you could also try making it again if you have more stock.
You could try making the roux again (here are some tips https://food52.com/blog/8828-how-to-make-a-roux) or add flour or cornstarch or another thickening agent like arrowroot to the gravy. Hope this helps!
13 Comments
I was off the grid from Thursday morning until today. Otherwise I would have replied when you first posted.
I would have suggested that you first make a dark-ish roux: melt butter, add an equal amount of flour, cook until a dark tan, and smells toasty. This adds a nice flavor to gravy. I'd whisk that in a bit at a time, letting the gravy cook for about a minute after each addition to let it thicken properly.
I'd deal with the Worcestershire sauce problem by adding 1/4 cup dry white wine + a pinch of dried or fresh thyme leaves, and letting that simmer for a few minutes. If it still tasted too strong, I'd add a couple tablespoons of cognac.
If that didn't work, I'd do what you did, but I would save the gravy and freeze it, to use in the future as the basis for more gravy made with pan drippings + stock, adding the gravy perhaps at a ration of 2 parts new stock to 1 part gravy, tasting to make sure it's okay. It would also work nicely in a pot pie with leftover turkey + more aromatics and herbs + carrots, celery, etc.
I really wish I knew why your gravy did not thicken. Mine always turns out perfectly - though we may like ours a bit on the thin side. As others noted, the ratio is standard.
Finally, I'll edit the recipe to change the amount of Worcestershire, suggesting it be added 1/4 teaspoon at a time, to taste.
;o)
Suggested) and only 1 tsp of Worcestershire so I agree everything should have been ok. I ended up making a new gravy from the pan drippings and chicken broth from my freezer but it was a bit salty and I was very upset I had wasted all that time making the other stock ahead of time from the backbone and neck.