Best Altons T Day Gravy Recipes

BEST GRAVY EVER

Steps:

• Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and set aside to rest. Leave the drippings from the turkey in the pan and place the roasting pan over medium heat. Add the broth and wine at the same time. Whisk to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan until all of the bits have come loose. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes in order to reduce the mixture slightly. Transfer the liquid to a fat separator and let sit for 5 minutes to allow fat to separate. Return 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the fat to the roasting pan and place over medium-high heat. Discard any remaining fat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken and become smooth, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Once this happens, gradually add the liquid back to the pan and whisk until smooth and you have reached your desired consistency, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Remember, your gravy should be slightly thin in the pan as it will thicken once you serve it. Add the herbs and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
• 2 to 3 days before roasting:
• Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
• Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
• Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
• Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
• Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
• Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 151 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

MAKE-AHEAD THANKSGIVING GRAVY

Steps:

• Peel and quarter the onion into wedges and cut the carrot and celery stalks into several large pieces. Chop each chicken wing into three pieces using a heavy chef's knife or cleaver.
• Heat a large heavy pot or, better, a wide Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and brown the wing pieces thoroughly. Remove to a plate or bowl.
• Place the onion wedges cut-side down in the bottom of the pot and scatter the carrots and celery around. Cook, without moving, until the surface of the onion is dark brown. Then flip and cook the other flat side in the same manner. As the onion is cooking, move the carrots and celery so that they brown as well, but the important thing is browning the onion.
• When the second side of the onion is dark brown, add the thyme, sage, and peppercorns and return the chicken to the pot. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, stirring for about 15 seconds and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmerIf steam starts belching out from under the lid, turn the heat down a bit. for 1 hour.
• Kill the heat and let the pot sit, still covered, for 30 minutes. Then strain the stock through a colander set over a tall, medium sauce pot. You should have approximately 5 cups of liquid. Discard the solids as they've given their all.
• Bring the strained stock to a boil over high heat yet again, then reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors. After this, you should be left with about 3 cups. Strain through a fine sieve into a fat separator and cool long enough for the fat to settle on top. Then pour off the stock into another container, seal and refrigerate. The stock can be kept chilled for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Whisk the miso, Worcestershire sauce, dark brown sugar, and the 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper into the 2 cups of stock.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan or saucier over medium-low heat. When the foaming subsides, whisk in the flour. Continue to cook, whisking, until the foaming stops and the roux darkens slightly to light blonde, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While whisking constantly, slowly pour the stock mixture into the roux. Boost the heat to medium and whisk until the gravy gently bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. At this point, it should heavily coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more black pepper, as desired.
• If there are any signs of lumps, strain through a fine sieve into a gravy boat to serve or another vessel to cool and store. You may need to use a serving spoon to push it through the sieve. The gravy can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months then reheated gently for service or, as mentioned above, kept hot in a thermos.

MAKE-AHEAD THANKSGIVING GRAVY

Steps:

• To make the stock: Peel and quarter the onion into wedges and cut the carrot and celery stalks into several large pieces. Chop each chicken wing into three pieces using a heavy chef's knife or cleaver.
• Heat a large heavy pot or, better, a wide Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and brown the wing pieces thoroughly. Remove to a plate or bowl.
• Place the onion wedges cut-side down in the bottom of the pot and scatter the carrots and celery around. Cook, without moving, until the surface of the onion is dark brown. Then flip and cook the other flat side in the same manner. As the onion is cooking, move the carrots and celery so that they brown as well, but the important thing is browning the onion.
• When the second side of the onion is dark brown, add the thyme, sage, and peppercorns and return the chicken to the pot. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, stirring for about 15 seconds and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour. (If steam starts belching out from under the lid, turn the heat down a bit.)
• Kill the heat and let the pot sit, still covered, for 30 minutes. Then strain the stock through a colander set over a tall, medium saucepot. You should have approximately 5 cups of liquid. Discard the solids as they've given their all.
• Bring the strained stock to a boil over high heat yet again, then reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors. After this you should be left with about 3 cups. Strain through a fine sieve into a fat separator and cool long enough for the fat to settle on top. Then pour off the stock into another container, seal and refrigerate. The stock can be kept chilled for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
• To make the gravy: Whisk the miso, Worcestershire sauce, dark brown sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper into the 2 cups of stock.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan or saucier over medium-low heat. When the foaming, subsides whisk in the flour. Continue to cook, whisking, until the foaming stops and the roux darkens slightly to light blonde, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While whisking constantly, slowly pour the stock mixture into the roux. Boost the heat to medium and whisk until the gravy gently bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. At this point it should heavily coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more black pepper.
• If there are any signs of lumps, strain through a fine sieve into a gravy boat to serve or another vessel to cool and store. You may need to use a serving spoon to push it through the sieve. The gravy can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months then reheated gently for service or, as mentioned above, kept hot in a thermos.

GOOD GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt the Clarified Butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Fry the thyme and sage in the butter until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute or until the mixture smells nutty. Add the potato starch and stir to combine.
• Add the chicken broth and soy sauce to the pan. Whisk to combine and eliminate any lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and nutmeg. Pour into a thermos to keep warm for serving.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat and slowly cook until the bubbling ceases and the liquid turns clear, 30 to 40 minutes. Strain and cool, being sure to leave any solids in the bottom of the pan. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
• Yield: approximately 15 ounces

TURKEY GIBLET GRAVY

Steps:

• For the giblet stock: Heat the oil in a 6 1/2-quart stockpot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the neck and backbone and saute 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Add the giblets, onion, carrot, celery and kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in the water and add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and black peppercorns.
• Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the stock reduces to 3 cups.
• Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer and cool slightly. Discard all solids but the giblets. Chop the giblets and set aside.
• For the giblet gravy: Place 2 cups of the giblet stock in a 4-quart saucier over medium heat.
• Combine 1/2 cup of cool stock with the all-purpose flour in a jar with a tightly fitted lid. Shake vigorously until starch dissolves and no lumps remain.
• Gradually add the flour slurry to stock, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened slightly.
• Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of cool stock with the potato starch in the lidded jar and shake vigorously until the starch dissolves and no lumps remain.
• Turn off the heat, remove the saucier from the burner and whisk until the liquid temperature decreases to 190 degrees F. Return to low heat and whisk in the potato starch slurry, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes to heat through and thicken, then season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Add the chopped giblets and stir to combine. Keep warm in a thermos until ready to serve.