Seasonal Pantry: Gravy techniques to tame your Thanksgiving panic

If you are of a certain age or simply have a passion for the music of the early 1960s, you might recall a Top 40 song called “Gravy,” by Dee Dee Sharp. It was a follow-up to her hit single, “Mashed Potatoes.” This morning, I woke up with the song circling my brain; it simply would not go away.

Sometimes inspiration for a weekly column comes in such a silly way. Gravy it is.

If you make your own gravy and are happy with it, you don’t need my advice. But if you are one of thousands who tend to panic a bit when it comes time to figure it out, I am here to help. And once you have made gravy successfully a time or two, the knowledge will last a lifetime.

There are a few things you can do in advance. But first, a warning: Brining your turkey typically means you shouldn’t use the pan drippings to make gravy, as they will be too salty. This is a big disadvantage, especially to the home cook, and is one of the reasons I no longer brine or recommend it. The other reason not to brine is if you have a heritage breed turkey. These turkeys, with their full, complex flavors, do not need it. The process dilutes, rather than enhances, the flavor.

If you do brine your turkey, you can make gravy using just the giblets and neck, or you can buy a package of necks at almost any market.

What I don’t recommend is chopping up the giblets and putting them directly into the gravy. This misguided approach causes deep childhood trauma and, potentially, lifelong nightmares.

And, yes, I speak from experience. You want to extract the flavor the giblets offer, but you not want their texture interfering with the velvety smoothness of proper gravy.

There are two techniques for gravy that I recommend. The first is traditional and quite easy. The second is not only easy, but foolproof.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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A day before the holiday, make some quick turkey broth. It will speed things up as you prepare dinner and there will be one less pot to wash afterward.

Quick Turkey Broth

Makes 2 to 2½ cups

1 tablespoon fat (turkey fat or butter)

1 turkey neck

- Giblets from 1 turkey, sliced or chopped

- Kosher salt

1 bay leaf

1 fresh sage sprig

- Black pepper in a mill

Put the fat into a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the turkey neck and giblets and sauté until lightly browned. Season with salt, add the bay, sage and several turns of black pepper and enough water to cover everything by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 to 1½ hours.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

Strain into a clean glass jar, add the lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

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It you use a disposable roasting pan, it will be difficult to make gravy in it. Instead, You’ll need to transfer pan drippings to another cooking vessel. If you use a good solid roasting pan, you shouldn’t have a problem. Gravy should be served hot, and it is best made after the turkey has rested for about 30 minutes.

Technique 1:?Turkey Gravy?

- Turkey pan drippings (see note below)

2 cups turkey broth or stock

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

After transferring your cooked turkey to a work surface or carving platter, tip the pan drippings into a clear container and set them aside so the fat will rise to the surface.

Set the pan over two burners on medium and add about half a cup of broth, stock or water. While the liquid simmers gently, use a thin metal spatula to scrape up any additional pan drippings, which should not be discarded as they are full of good flavor.

Working quickly, spoon off most of the fat from the container of drippings and pour the liquid, along with the remaining broth or stock into the pan.

When the liquid boils, swirl in the butter and as soon as it is melted, sprinkle the flour over everything. Stir continuously with a sturdy whisk or fork until the mixture takes on a bit of color and thickens.

Taste, correct for salt and pepper, tip into a gravy boat or small pitcher and enjoy right away.

Note: I find it helpful to pour about ¼ to ½ inch of water in the roasting pan so that the first drippings do not burn. If you note them burning as the turkey continues to cook, keep adding water. Before too long, there will be enough fat and enough drippings to prevent burning without adding more water.

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If you feel clumsy making gravy the traditional way, as in the recipe above, or if you end up with lumps in your gravy, this technique will solve those issues. Kneaded butter, which is simply a mixture of equal amounts of butter and flour, is about as foolproof a thickening technique as there is.

Technique 2:?Turkey Gravy?

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

- Pan drippings from roasted turkey, poured into a clear container

½-1 cup, plus more as needed, turkey broth, turkey stock or water

First, make kneaded butter. To do so, put the butter into a small bowl, add the flour and use a fork to stir well, until the mixture is quite smooth. Set aside. (This can be done a day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.)

Remove most of the fat from the pan drippings in the container. Set the roasting pan over two burners set to medium, add about half a cup of water and use a thin metal spatula to scrape up any additional drippings. Tip them into the container with the other pan drippings. If there seems to be a lot of fat, spoon it off.

Pour the drippings through a strainer into a small clean saucepan. There should be about a cup to a cup and a half. Add broth, stock or water to make about 2 cups (don’t worry about measuring).

Taste and correct for salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low and begin to add the kneaded butter, a nubbin at a time, whisking all the while. Continue to add the kneaded butter until the gravy is thickened as you like it.

Correct for salt, season with black pepper, tip into a gravy boat or small pitcher and enjoy right away.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “California Home Cooking.” Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com