WetLeather Recipe Database - food for bikers

Name:	Gravy Method	Contributor:	Tim Miller
Description:	General Theory of Gravy	Posted:	2004-04-14
Key words:	fried, roast, drippings, fond	Category:	Sauces
ID:	526	Updated:	2005-12-01 22:55:31
Ingredients:	stock a pan from which you've just removed a fried or roasted something cream/milk (optional) cornstarch water
Preparation:	You'll need stock. Use canned chicken if you don't have any. Not canned beef stock, as it's way too salty. Bullion cubes and water will substitute in a pinch, but again be careful of excessive saltiness. After you fry something in the pan, those browned bits sticking to the pan are what you need. They're called fond, dunno why, it's a French thing. Make sure to drain out almost all the grease, leaving maybe 2 tablespoons. You want to melt them into solution with alcohol (wine, whiskey, or brandy) or water, but alcohol is faster. Be careful not to flame up. Yet! So loosen all the bits in the pan w/ a fork as you melt them, to get them all. Once melted into maybe 3-4 tablespoons of liquid, add your stock, 1 can is plenty for 2 people. Boil stock down to maybe 1/2-1/3 volume, check and taste that it's getting more concentrated, flavor-wise. If you want to add maybe 1/4 cup cream, milk, or unsweetened canned milk, BE SURE to remove from heat FIRST. Otherwise you'll start Ricotta cheese.......but the milkfat makes for creamy "mouth" taste. Return to heat, stirring constantly. Re-taste. Adjust seasoning, but easy on salt. Boil down a little more if it's weakened too much by the cream. Mix about 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch in about 1/4 cup cold water till it's smooth, then add 1/2 to the sauce. Keep stirring, and as it boils it thickens, add more if you need it thicker. If you add too much, just add a little water to thin. It might take a little practice to get the proportions right, but you'll soon learn "just how much" to add, depending on the amount of liquid you have in your pan. The trick is to do it without any lumps, so pre-mix the cornstarch in cold water first. Again, adjust salt last. If you have the mashed potatoes a little salty, you can balance that, with less in the gravy. I make about a gallon of gravy like this with the Thanksgiving turkey. So if you have a lot of fond, you can really go to town. Just adjust your proportions accordingly. That's about it. Pretty simple, but with a million variations. Good homemade stocks will yield the best sauces, but take time. "Food of Love" indeed.......
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