ALL-PURPOSE GRAVY

All-Purpose Gravy image

Developed by Cook's Illustrated: This gravy can be served with almost any type of meat or poultry or with mashed potatoes.

Provided by Pi-E8216

Categories Sauces

Time 55m

Yield 2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 small celery rib, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 small onion, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
5 whole black peppercorns
table salt & fresh ground pepper

Steps:

In food processor, pulse carrot until broken into rough 1/4-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Add celery and onion; pulse until all vegetables are broken into 1/8-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.
Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and WELL BROWNED, about 7 minutes (important step: browning will give the gravy great flavor). Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until THOROUGHLY BROWNED and fragrant, about 5 minutes (again the browning is very important step for flavor). Whisking constantly, gradually add broths; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
NOTE: If you would like to double the recipe, use a Dutch oven to give the vegetables ample space for browning and increase the cooking times by roughly 50 percent. The finished gravy can be frozen. To thaw either a single or double recipe, place the gravy and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over low heat and bring slowly to a simmer. The gravy may appear broken or curdled as it thaws, but a vigorous whisking will recombine it.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 274.7, Fat 19, SaturatedFat 11.4, Cholesterol 45.8, Sodium 99.9, Carbohydrate 21.1, Fiber 1.8, Sugar 3.2, Protein 7.2