"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
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