I love gravy, but it's a tricky thing to do consistently well. Too much flour, and one ends up with something approximating wallpaper paste, in both texture and taste. Too little, and the gravy ends up more like soup or a thin sauce -- which isn't as bad as the wallpaper paste outcome, but it's frustrating to need to tweak the gravy after investing all the time into preparing it. Doubly so when everything else is done and cooling while the cook tries to salvage the gravy -- and triply so when it's a special dinner.
This recipe takes a lot of the guesswork out of consistently making great gravy. Instead of using flour as the thickener, it relies on cornstarch, which is much easier to use if one remembers to always mix it with a cool liquid before adding it to the boiling one. The result is a more attractive gravy, too, and best of all -- it tastes better. I found this recipe on the internet, and true to form, I tweaked it some to make it more to my liking.
Wheat-free Turkey Gravy
- 1 turkey, rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 C each chopped onion (reserve skins), carrots, and celery
- melted butter or olive oil
- salt, pepper, and herbs if desired
- One lemon or lime
Prepare turkey for roasting according to the recipe of your choice. Into the roasting pan, toss the chopped vegetables. Put the turkey on a rack in the pan; brush the turkey with your choice of melted butter or olive oil, then sprinkle inside and out with salt, pepper, and any other spices you may desire (sage, parsley, and thyme are good ones). Squeeze the juice of the lemon or lime over the turkey, and roast according to your recipe.
While the turkey roasts, prepare turkey broth as follows:
- 1/2 C each (or more, to taste) chopped onion (reserve skins), carrots, and celery (with leaves)
- turkey neck (heart and gizzard too, if desired)
- 4 C water
- sage, parsley, or whatever herbs you put on the turkey, about 1/4 tsp. of each
Place all ingredients, including the skins from the onions, into a saucepan. Bring to a near-boil; reduce heat and let simmer for about an hour. Remove from heat; after the broth has cooled, strain into a clean measuring cup or bowl. You should have about 2 1/2 C of broth.
When the turkey is ready, place it on a platter to rest while you finish the gravy.
Pour out the pan drippings, leaving the vegetables in the pan. If desired, separate out and discard the fat from the pan drippings. Return the pan drippings to the roasting pan, along with all but 1/4 C of the cooled turkey broth.
Place the roasting pan over medium-low heat, and allow it to bubble and cook for a few minutes. Scrape the pan bottom while stirring occasionlly to loosen the vegetables and other flavorful bits.
When you're ready to finish the gravy, stir approximately 1/4 C (see note) cornstarch into the reserved 1/4 C cool turkey broth. (If you forgot to reserve broth, you can use cool water.) Stir the cornstarch mix into the bubbling slurry and stir well, cooking until thickened -- about a minute or two. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If desired, strain into a gravy boat; or pour into a gravy boat to keep the vegetable chunks in the gravy.
Yield: approximately 3 C
Notes: The general guideline for thickening one cup of liquid is to add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. (So, following the recipe exactly, you should have about 12 C of liquid prior to adding the cornstarch.) If you wish, you can measure all the liquids and get a relatively exact amount of cornstarch you'll need (don't forget to include the cool liquid the cornstarch will be stirred into). If you think you have more liquid, or you prefer thicker gravy, add another teaspoon or two of cornstarch.
If you put herbs both on the turkey and in the broth as you make it, go easy on them -- especially the salt. The flavors will intensify as the gravy thickens, and too much of a spice can overpower the gravy. Better for it to be underseasoned. Any herb(s) you use should complement the turkey flavor, not dominate it.
http://www.sunnimaravillosa.com/pood/turkeygravy.html