Turkey Pan Gravy

Tags: Holidays, sauces

A Little Personal History:

While cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey can be a daunting art form in itself, without a great turkey gravy to go along with it, and I know 1st hand, you’ve got a problem. Here’s the cure 🙂

Description:

 

Categories:	Gravy, Turkey
Servings:	8 – 10 servings
Time:	– Cooking: 10 minutes
Equipment:	Prep: Degreasing cup or bowl,  chopping knife & board, wooden spoon, whisk
Difficulty:	Easy

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Turkey Stock
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 sprig thyme leaves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Procedure:

1. Once you’ve roasted your turkey, pour any pan drippings into a degreasing cup or small bowl.
2. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat, discarding the rest of the fat.
3. Add the separated turkey juices to a small bowl.
4. Add the reserved fat to the roasting pan and place on a burner over medium-high heat.
5. Add the shallot, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot is tender, about 3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make a paste with the butter and flour in a small bowl; set aside.
7. Add the Turkey Stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan with a wooden spoon.
8. Bring to a boil and whisk in the flour/butter mixture. Boil until sauce thickens to make a gravy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
9. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
10. Serve.

Advanced Preparation:

• The gravy is usually prepared just after Turkey is roasted yet just before serving, the last thing you want to deal with is realizing the Turkey Stock, ergo the turkey gravy, has NOT been made! To avoid this calamity and keep stress levels to a minimum, while I’m enjoying my mimosas during final preparations;  I usually make the stock the night before 😉

Tips, Notes, and Variations:

• If you don’t have a de-greasing cup, use a bowl, put it in the fridge overnight, and remove the solidified fat that separated to the top.

What if your gravy is too thin:

• If you have 30 minutes…Brown more roux and whisk your too-thin gravy into that. About 1 Tbsp. each butter and flour will thicken 1 cup stock.
• If you have 10 minutes…Work 2 Tbsp. room-temperature butter into an equal volume of flour in a separate bowl until it forms a smooth paste. Whisk into the gravy a bit at a time, letting the gravy gently boil between additions, until thickened to your liking.
• If you have 1 minute…Mix 1 Tbsp. each cornstarch and water to form a smooth liquid. Whisk into gravy and let boil a few seconds to activate the starch. Repeat as needed.