Friday, December 29, 2006

I Want To Drown In Gravy.

Now that your turducken is out of the oven and your cranberry is sauce is simmering, it is time to make gravy and lots of it. It is an absolute crime and insult to your guests to run out of gravy. I usually tend to make about 5 litres so that I can freeze it and be guaranteed gravy yumminess for months to come. I mean, really, what doesn't taste better dunked, slathered, or swimming in gravy? How 'bout gravy gelato with bits of cranberry? Maybe I'll try that in a couple of weeks when I run out of turducken but I still have 3 litres of gravy in my freezer... but I digress.
I start by melting a bunch of butter then add approx. 1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour. Keep stirring the resulting paste. Let it brown and then slowly add the turducken stock you made and keep whisking to avoid lumps. Do not use the runoff turducken fat to season the gravy because it will be way too salty because of brining. Add at least 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup of apple juice for sweetness. Tweak with rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, and fresh ground black pepper adding more wine and apple juice if need be. For the ultimate gravy science explanation and recipe mojo, check out this page by Alton Brown. He is a dude on Food Network and his shows are always chock full of fascinating food science and helpful tips. You should definitely program your VCR.

p.s. I'm serious about the gravy gelato. Stay tuned...

1 comment:

Ben Peterson said...

Hey Wade,
I actually did some personal research into the question, and I quote, "I mean, really, what doesn't taste better dunked, slathered, or swimming in gravy?", and I found the answer to be....(drum role)....Nothing! My conclusion was that a good gravy never degrades the taste of food. While sometimes being very neutral (i.e. not enhancing) the gravy never had a negative impact.
Also, great blog idea, I will check in from time-to-time.