Fall

It's All Gravy

by:
November  2, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes At least 1 cup
Author Notes

"Drippings" and "fond" sound so much more edible and a lot less gross than "caramelized blood, melted fat and other fluids" stuck to the bottom of a pan, but that's what you need to make a satisfying gravy. Whether those drippings come from ham, pork, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, ground beef or breakfast sausage, (or, grudgingly, tomatoes) or whether those meats have been roasted, braised, sauteed, pan- or deep-fried, you don't need a recipe as much as a formula. It's very easy to remember--the proportions are 1:1:1, but making it requires a little forethought so it doesn't turn into a plain bland topping on a plain bland base. Will the liquid be stock or water, milk or cream, beer or ginger beer? Hmmmm. . .decisions, decisions. (Is it October and is there pork and sauerkraut? Beer gravy it is!) Will the taste of the gravy be affected if the chicken is roasted with lemons or the ham is studded with cloves? Yes, it most certainly will (lemony chicken gravy is wonderful with rice, but save the cloves for gingerbread). Will it complement or clash with the taste of the mashed potatoes, rice, polenta, noodles, puff pastry, biscuits or toast? Hamburger gravy is great on mashed potatoes or white toast--don't try it on biscuits, no matter how light and fluffy they are. This would be a much easier task if it had an accompanying flow chart. Is there an app for this? —betteirene

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Pan drippings
  • 1 tablespoon fat, butter or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup liquid
  • Salt (if needed)
  • Pepper (if needed)
Directions
  1. Remove meat from the cookware; set it aside and keep the meat warm with a loose tent of foil. If there is any liquid mixed with the drippings, you can do one of two things: On the stove over medium-high heat, cook the liquid off until only fat and drippings remain in the pan, then carefully pour the fat into a glass liquid measuring cup; or, pour the contents into a fat separator (be careful not to pour off any drippings, and use the liquid collected as part or all of the liquid required to make the gravy). In the event you have drippings but have collected no fat, use butter or vegetable oil.
  2. For each cup of gravy desired, add one tablespoon of fat and one tablespoon of flour to the drippings in the pan. Whisk or stir together until the fat has absorbed all the flour. Set the pan over medium-low heat and let cook a full minute, stirring or whisking constantly.
  3. Add your choice of liquid, turn the heat to medium-high and stir briskly for two to three minutes, until the flour loses its raw taste. Depending on the meat and how it was seasoned, salt and/or pepper might not be necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
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  • betteirene
    betteirene
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    mrslarkin
  • arielleclementine
    arielleclementine
  • drbabs
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8 Reviews

betteirene
betteirene November 3, 2010
Thanks, everyone. I'm glad all my years of terrible gravy could be of so much help.

Thanks especially to you, mrslarkin. Hilarious ("Are you wearing pants?") and yet so wise ("The price of great bacon is eternal vigilance"). It's printing out as we speak and it's going right onto the refrigerator.
 
adamnsvetcooking
adamnsvetcooking November 2, 2010
Love your spunk and recipe ahaha
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin November 2, 2010
Great recipe, betteirene. Thank you for this! I feel like the curtain's been raised and the mystery solved! I love your humor and your knowledge. You're right, flowcharts would be helpful! It works for bacon: http://www.cslacker.com/images/funny/products/food/bacon_flowchart/
 
arielleclementine
arielleclementine November 2, 2010
that flowchart is rad!
 
arielleclementine
arielleclementine November 2, 2010
this is a great recipe! just what gravy should be :) and i love the 'caramelized blood' note- hilarious!
 
drbabs
drbabs November 2, 2010
betteirene, this is like a really great cooking lesson.
 
Midge
Midge November 2, 2010
Everyone says its such a cinch to make, but I've always been gravy-challenged. Thanks for demystifying it, betteirene. I'll be referring to this on Thanksgiving.
 
monkeymom
monkeymom November 2, 2010
Your title, headnote, and recipe = perfection. :)