52 Days of Thanksgiving
52 Days of Thanksgiving
Top-notch recipes, expert tips, and all the tools to pull off the year’s most memorable feast.
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28 Comments
glenn
February 8, 2015
Am I the only one who uses bacon fat to make my roux? I'm just a country cook i guess. I'll try some of your methods.
Tina M.
November 21, 2015
I'm thinking that using bacon fat for a roux is a great idea. I'm going to have to try it. This city cook is thanking the country cook!
Mary K.
November 24, 2014
my mother always saved the water that the potatoes were boiled in - she used this liquid plus some stock for the gravy - the starchy potato water adds flavor and helps the gravy to thicken.
AntoniaJames
November 24, 2014
My gravy secrets are not so secret (see my suggestions below) but here's another one, realized this year when I made turkey stock a few weeks ago for a risotto with a Thanksgiving flavor profile on the menu later this week: Lots and lots of fresh herbs in your stock. You can't put too many in. If by chance you are using a stock that's already been made, take 30 minutes or more to infuse it with fresh herbs before using. The herbs will make such a difference in your gravy, pan sauces, dressing, etc. ;o) P.S. One non-negotiable ingredient: cognac. Seriously.
Lori
November 2, 2015
Please tell me how you add the cognac to your gravy. That sounds decadently divine!
Eric C.
November 28, 2013
Seems unusual to use butter in a pan gravy. I just put 2-3 tablespoons of flour and make the roux right in the roasting pan.
soupcon
November 26, 2013
Forgot to say, DON'T POUR OFF THE FAT. Fat = flavour. It's Thanksgiving or Christmas or some celebration. Diets be damned. Besides you can never have enough gravy like you can never have enough bacon.
soupcon
November 26, 2013
Forget deglazing with anything. Add flour to make roux, cook roux over very low heat for at least 10 minutes to cook but not burn the flour, add liquid (wine, turkey/chicken stock, beer, water, whatever) slowly until desired thickness whisking to bedevil the lumps. Continue to cook over very low heat. Season to taste. Serve.
foodluver
November 25, 2013
So glad that a few people commented about using fat saved from the turkey stock for making the gravy. I made the stock last week and froze it, freezing and reserving the fat separately. It seemed to sense to use fat from the stock, rather than butter, but am happy to know that others have done it successfully.
AntoniaJames
November 25, 2013
I recommend using a bit of butter in your roux, even when using the turkey fat. The butter lends a nice flavor -- you don't taste "butter," but it does make a difference -- plus, a roux made just with the poultry fat seems rather heavy. Also, you can use that wonderful turkey fat for drizzling over your pan-baked stuffing before putting it in the oven. It's a great way to add some rich turkey flavor to the crispy topping of your stuffing. ;o)
Michael L.
November 25, 2013
If it is not a recipe what is it called. The last time I read anything with ingredients and instruction it was called a RECIPE.
Now look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls.
Now look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls.
BillH
November 24, 2013
I take the organ meat with the cartilage cut out,(except, not the liver) and meat from the neck and blend in into a slurry. I add this back into the gravy. Makes a very rich full bodied without using flour.
abbyarnold
November 24, 2013
Brown the flour! My friend Kate taught me that 20 years ago, and I have been able to make perfect, tasty gravy ever since.
Jrdinmo
November 24, 2013
I just use the broth from roasting the turkey, poured from a fat separator. Then simmer with milk as needed, add cornstarch mixed with water, stirring constantly until thick. Add salt & pepper if needed. My entire family lives for this gravy. Easy and not so unhealthy.
Bianca4s
November 24, 2013
mrslarkin yes I too dream of dining with Antonia James she is quickly becoming my foodie hero as I scroll the comments of each recipe in search of her nuggets - can't wait to try that brining for brussels sprout recipe, they are my husband's favorite and even the kids love them! Ms. James we are in the E. Bay and avid mushroom hunters, my husband dives for abalone and we keep bees and have the most glorious honey - renowned E. Bay chefs vie for it - we barter our surplus ... so we might have to take you up on that invite to hike and dine and we'll bring you the most delicious honey - you cannot imagine how it changes throughout the year from pale gold to deep amber - yum!
AntoniaJames
December 2, 2013
Bianca4s, you are so kind! I'd love to get together. I'll send you an email message privately. Thanks so much for this enthusiastic and friendly post. ;o)
kim
November 18, 2013
Gravy made ahead…. my grandmother's ghost would be knocking on my kitchen door , kind of like Marley's ghost in A Christmas Carol. Thanksgiving turkey gravy , in our family , is a trust of hallowed culinary simplicity that involves a mason jar, flour and cold water , vigorously shaken and then poured into a molten pan of delicious drippings to be watched and stirred until it becomes a golden brown. It's the ultimate , the crowning culmination to what my grandmother called "a noble bird "
Soozll
November 18, 2013
The past few years of buying smaller turkey, I just haven't gotten as much juice as I need to make enough gravy. So I've started making stock a few days before using turkey wings. I roast them (400F about 45 mins) with mirepoix until brown, add them to a stock pot, deglaze the pan into the stock pot and add water. Simmer for 3-4 hours and strain (discard solids) into 2 quart measuring bowl, chill and scrap off the fat. Some fat saved to be used as roux if necessary. I then have stock to augment my turkey drippings but also for use in the dressing and for whatever else I need stock. Can add any seasonings you like to the stock pot, I try to keep it simple with salt and pepper.
aargersi
November 18, 2013
Ohhh I made my stock yesterday but I didn't think about saving the fat for the roux - now I will do just that!!!
AntoniaJames
November 18, 2013
Deglaze with a couple tablespoons of Cognac + double that amount of dry white wine. Add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce per quart of stock. (I don't measure, though. I just give the bottle a couple of good shakes.) Finally, put a thumb-sized chunk of salty smoked ham in your stock pot. (If using pre-made stock, put the same-sized piece of ham in your roasting pan with the turkey, to flavor the drippings.) ;o)
AntoniaJames
November 18, 2013
mrslarkin, you're invited! Bring your hiking boots for a great view of the Pacific, the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills of San Francisco, beforehand. You'll work up a pretty good appetite, too. ;o)
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