Rich And Silky Turkey Gravy Food

RICH AND SILKY TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Stock up:
• Good gravy begins with good stock. At least one day (and up to four days) before the feast, make your own rich turkey stock. (For a recipe, see Do- Ahead Turkey Stock ; in a pinch, you can use store-bought low-salt chicken broth, but the results with homemade are incomparable.) When you're ready to make the gravy, bring 4 cups stock to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat; keep warm.
• Make a roux:
• Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or turkey fat in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. The roux will become smooth and golden brown. Keep whisking! Within 2-3 minutes it will be the color of café au lait and smell slightly toasted. Gradually whisk in the warm turkey stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the gravy's at a bare simmer.
• Customize it:
• Now, for an herbaceous kick, add 2 bay leaves or 1 sprig thyme. For an umami boost, stir in 4 dried porcini mushrooms or 2 teaspoons porcini powder along with 2 tablespoons Madeira. With or without these upgrades, let gravy simmer until reduced by half, then remove herbs or mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Season with kosher salt and serve. Or keep the gravy warm until the turkey is finished and take it one step further...
• Extra credit:
• Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and strain the drippings from the pan into a measuring cup. Skim the fat; add enough water to measure 1 cup. Place the pan across two burners set on medium-high heat. Add the drippings mixture and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Strain into the gravy; simmer until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and serve.

RICH GRAVY

Steps:

• Take the finished turkey out of the roasting pan to rest before carving. Place the pan on stove across two burners. Bring pan liquids to a boil over high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, until vegetables are browned, 8 to 10 minutes more. (If pan begins to burn, turn off one burner, and push vegetables so they're over other burner.)
• Add 1 cup dry white wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2/3 cup all-purpose flour; cook, stirring, until flour is incorporated and browned, about 2 minutes.
• Slowly add 8 cups water; bring to a simmer, stirring, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until gravy reaches desired consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour gravy through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan; discard solids. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Keep warm; whisk well before serving.

RICH TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Carefully lift the turkey roasting pan and strain drippings into a small bowl or measuring cup; discard solids. Skim fat from surface, reserving 1/4 cup. Add drippings to stock.
• Set roasting pan over 2 burners set to medium-high heat. Add wine and cook, scraping up any brown bits, until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in flour and reserved fat. Cook, whisking, until roux is deep golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Whisking, gradually ladle stock mixture into roux and simmer (still whisking!) until thickened; add vinegar. Strain into a medium saucepan if you prefer a smooth texture. Stir in soy sauce and/or herbs, if using; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

ROAST TURKEYS WITH RICH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• The night before roasting, dissolve salt and sugar in 3 gallons of cold water in a large, clean ice chest or similar container in a cold spot, such as an unheated basement or garage. For those in warm climates, add ice packs to keep turkeys cool. Add turkeys, breast-side down; cover and let stand about 12 hours. (This brining keeps the turkey from drying out and seasons it right down to the bone.) Drain. Rinse turkeys and pat dry.
• About five hours before serving, set oven to 425 degrees and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Place turkey No. 1 breast-side down and cut out the back with kitchen shears. Open up turkey and turn it breast-side up, pressing on it with your palms so it lies flat. Place turkey, skin-side up, on a lipped cookie sheet over a bed of half the chopped vegetables. Brush turkey with butter.
• Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 175 degrees, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Watch vegetables and pan drippings throughout - they should be kept dry enough to brown and produce the rich brown goo with which to brush Turkey No. 2 and make a rich gravy, but moist enough to keep from burning. So add water as needed throughout the cooking.
• Remove pan from oven and transfer turkey to a cutting board; reserve vegetables and pan juices for Turkey No. 2. Let the bird rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before carving, to allow the meat to firm up. Carve, transferring slices to an ovenproof serving platter or baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate or set in a cool spot (below 40 degrees) until mealtime. Gently rewarm, covered, on platter or baking pan.
• Immediately after removing the first turkey, lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to lowest position. Scrape vegetables and pan drippings from Turkey No. 1 into a roasting pan. Set a V-rack in the pan. Place remaining raw vegetables in the cavity of Turkey No. 2, then tie legs together with kitchen string for a nicer presentation. Set turkey, breast-side down, on rack. Brush with pan drippings from Turkey No. 1.
• Roast 1 hour. Remove from oven; baste back and sides with pan drippings. Using two wads of paper towels, carefully turn breast-side up and baste. Keep roasting until a thermometer inserted into the leg registers 175 degrees, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer. Again, watch vegetables and drippings throughout and add water as needed. Transfer turkey to a platter for display (and then for seconds and leftovers).
• For gravy: Set roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high heat. Add wine and, using a wooden spoon, stir to loosen brown bits. Strain contents of pan through a large strainer into a saucepan. Add broth and bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch with 1/2 cup water (or 1/2 cup flour with 1 cup water), then gradually whisk into pan juices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. Serve immediately.

RICH MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the turkey wings, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic into a roasting pan, and roast until the turkey wings turn a deep golden brown color, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked wings and vegetables to a large pot. Place the roasting pan over 2 stove burners on medium-high heat, then pour the white wine into the roasting pan. Scrape off and dissolve any browned flavor bits from the bottom of the pan into the white wine; heat and scrape the roasting pan until the drippings and wine have reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour the wine mixture into the saucepan with the turkey wings.
• Pour chicken broth and water into the pot, and season with thyme. Push the turkey wings down into the liquid; bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off any foam that collects on top. Pour the broth mixture through a colander into a large bowl; pick meat from the wings, if desired, to add to gravy, or discard the spent wings and vegetables. Allow the gravy base to stand for several minutes for the fat to collect into a layer on top, and skim as much fat as possible. Transfer the skimmed fat into a saucepan. There should be at least 1/2 cup of turkey fat; add butter to make this amount if necessary.
• Whisk the flour into the turkey fat over medium heat until the flour mixture becomes smooth and golden brown. Gradually whisk in the broth until the gravy comes to a boil and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the gravy to cool, then refrigerate or freeze. Reheat almost to boiling to serve.

SIMPLE ROAST TURKEY WITH RICH TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Put oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 450°F Rinse turkey inside and out, then pat dry. Sprinkle turkey cavities and skin with salt and pepper. Fold neck skin under body and secure with metal skewers, then tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and tuck wings under body.
• Put turkey on rack in roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to pan and roast without basting, rotating pan halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thighs (test both thighs; do not touch bones) registers 170°F, 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours.
• Carefully tilt turkey so any juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan, then transfer turkey to a platter, reserving juices in roasting pan. Let turkey stand, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F).
• Make gravy while turkey stands:.
• Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into measuring cup (do not clean roasting pan), then skim off and discard fat. (If using a fat separator, pour pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from separator into measure, discarding fat.).
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add remaining cup water and deglaze roasting pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour through sieve into measuring cup containing pan juices. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to bring total to 8 cups (if stock is congealed, heat to liquefy).
• Melt butter in a 4-quart heavy pot and stir in flour. Cook roux over moderate heat, whisking, 5 minutes. Add stock mixture in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Stir in any turkey juices accumulated on platter and simmer 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper, then stir in cider vinegar (to taste).

RICH TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350.
• Place turkey wings, celery, onion and carrot in roasting pan.
• Roast in 350 oven for 1 hour, stirring twice, or until nicely browned.
• Place ingredients from roasting pan in 8 qrt stockpot.
• Add the water and reserved turkey drippings Simmer, partially covered 2 hours, skimming fat from time to time.
• Strain and reserve carrots, onions and celery.
• Add more water if needed to make 4 cups broth.
• Puree carrots, onions and celery add to stockpot.
• Cook over low heat.
• Stir flour and reserved 1/2 cup broth in small bowl.
• Whisk into pan along with salt and pepper.
• Cook over low heat, whisking, until thickened.
• Strain and serve.