All-Purpose Gravy
By Keith DresserPublished on October 21, 2012
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 8 to 10 (Makes 2 cups)
Featured Comment
"Excellent gravy with no meat drippings. It's just what I wanted and I'm proud to serve it." —Galen S.
Ingredients
Before You Begin
This gravy can be served with almost any type of meat or poultry or with mashed potatoes. 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.
Make Ahead: Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up 2 weeks. To reheat, bring to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Instructions
- In food processor, pulse 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into rough ½-inch pieces until broken into rough ¼-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Add 1 small rib celery, chopped into rough ½-inch pieces, and 1 small onion, chopped into rough ½-inch pieces; pulse until all vegetables are broken into ⅛-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.
- Heat 3 tablespoons unsalted 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. Reduce heat to medium; stir in ¼ cup all-purpose flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups low-sodium beef broth; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 bay leaf, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, and 5 whole black 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.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up 2 weeks. To reheat, bring to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 8 to 10 (Makes 2 cups)Featured Comment
"Excellent gravy with no meat drippings. It's just what I wanted and I'm proud to serve it." —Galen S.Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted to create a top-notch, all-purpose gravy that could be made quickly, without pan drippings or any special ingredients. Water and vegetable broths made for flavorless gravies, while chicken and beef broths alone dominated the gravy. Equal amounts of chicken and beef broth, however, provided a meaty yet balanced base.
A standard mirepoix (a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery) lightly sautéed in oil contributed a rounded sweetness and body, but failed to accent the gravy’s meatiness or to impart any roasted flavor. In most gravy recipes, the fond (the browned bits at the bottom of a roasting pan) provides concentrated flavor; we felt we could create similar bits of rich, caramelized flavor by developing a vegetable fond. Extending the cooking time and sautéing the vegetables until they were well browned resulted in a more pronounced roasted, meaty flavor. Switching from oil to butter (for more flavor) and chopping the vegetables in a food processor (for smaller, more uniform pieces) further enhanced our fond.
The gravy was getting better, but it still lacked depth. We borrowed a method from Creole gumbos to thicken our gravy and give it deep color: We took our roux far past a pale blond shade and cooked it until it became the color of milk chocolate. This provided an unexpectedly rich roasted flavor and added a meaty intensity. A classic combination of dried thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns finished our surprisingly simple yet deeply flavorful gravy.
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