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Make Ahead Gravy

Source of Recipe

Marla


List of Ingredients

Make Ahead Gravy



6 T. unsalted butter or margarine
6 T. flour
4 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
Drippings from the turkey pan


Recipe


In medium pan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. cook over medium high heat until the flour is incorporated and white bubbles begin to form on the top of the roux. Cook the roux for 2 to 3 minutes, after the white bubbles have formed, whisking constantly.

Gradually add the broth, whisking constantly and stirring until the gravy is thickened and comes to a boil. Remove form the heat and season with salt and pepper. At this point, you can cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks. Defrost before proceeding.

On Thanksgiving Day, heat the gravy in a medium pan. When the turkey is done, pour off all the drippings into a jar or fat separator. Skim or spoon off all the fat and discard. Add the drippings to the gravy and bring it to serving temperature.


Variation:

Inside the turkey is bag container the heart, liver, and gizzard. If your family enjoys these in the gravy, poach them in a pan with 2 cups of chicken broth for about 45 minutes, until they are cooked through. Cool and finely chop. Add them to the finished gravy. If you like the gravy thicker, make a past of 1 part flour to 1 part softened butter or melted butter. This is called a beurre manie, and it is used to help thicken sauces.

Whisk some beurre manie into the gravy after adding the drippings. Bring back to a boil for each addition, and add more beurre manie until the gravy is thickened to your preference. To keep gravy hot, use a thermal gravy carafe or other thermal container. Or keep the gravy warm in a slow cooker. Or pour boiling water into your gravy boat about 15 minutes before serving and let it sit. Pour the water out, pour in the gravy and the boat should remain warm for half an hour.

What? No Drippings? Some people swear by grilling, smoking, or deep frying their turkeys, but they end up without drippings to stir into the gravy. If this is you, never fear.

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, roast a chicken or chicken parts, which will give you some nice caramelized drippings, that can be frozen, then stirred into your gravy. You can actually have the gravy completely ready to go on Thanksgiving if you choose to do it this way.