Gravy Training

Even those who cook turkey at other times of the year often reserve gravy-making for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving. If you’re among them, you may need to review basic gravy-making techniques.

Begin by removing the neck and giblets from the bird. Separate the liver from the other giblets and save it in the refrigerator for another meal. Place the remaining giblets and the neck in a two-quart saucepan. Add four cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hours (Step 1).

Strain and reserve the stock. Discard the neck, chop the giblets, cover and refrigerate.

When the turkey is roasted, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a platter. Lightly cover with foil and let stand approximately 20 minutes to allow the juices to set before carving.

Meanwhile, add one cup of the reserved stock to the drippings in the roasting pan (Step 2). Place the pan over medium heat and scrape the browned particles free from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour the mixture into a measuring cup (Step 3) and let the fat rise to the top.

Skim off the fat with a spoon. Or use a measuring cup (available in housewares departments for a relatively low cost) that is specially designed for separating fat. It has a spout at the bottom, which allows the drippings to be poured out while the fat floats (Step 4).

To make two cups of gravy, place one-quarter cup of the turkey fat in a saucepan. (Should there not be enough fat, add butter.) Discard any remaining fat and add enough of the reserved giblet stock to the skimmed drippings to equal two cups.

Heat the fat over medium heat. Stir in one-quarter cup flour (Step 5) and cook, stirring, until bubbly. Remove from heat.

Gradually pour in the dripping/stock mixture, stirring constantly (Step 6) with a wire whisk. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, until the gravy boils and thickens. For thinner gravy, add more broth. Stir in giblets and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note : The giblets may be omitted from the gravy, and canned chicken broth may be substituted for the homemade broth.