HOW TO MAKE THE BEST GRAVY AND SAUCES
Thanksgiving is really the start of five weeks of celebrating various holidays, ending New Year’s Day. Those weeks are filled with feasts, parties and social gatherings requiring food, not every day fare but festive, attractive party food. The best way to dress up any dishes’ presentation isn’t just with garnishes but with gravy or sauce.
Every cuisine lists gravies and sauces in two separate categories, just as languages give them diverse names, but some confusion persists as to their definitive difference because, in fact, they are very similar. Both are pourable used to enhance various solid foods, flavored with the same herbs and spices, created using the same ingredients by the same process. (See post for Nov. 20, 2014 and Dec. 4 & 12. 2014)
The difference is simply that gravy is made from a meat stock, pan drippings, boiled meat and/or bones. Sauce is based on any other liquid, juice, milk, wine etc. This explains why Italians always say “Tomato gravy” not tomato sauce. The dish is made from boiling the whole tomato, not just the rendered juice and is designated a ragu or gravy. French tomato sauce, made from the rendered juice, is considered a sauce.
In my book Savvy Sauces and Gravies, I explain that both dishes are made using either flour or cornstarch as a thickener by creating a slurry or a roux. Personally, I’ve found cornstarch yields a clearer product, but doesn’t keep as well, tending to become watery when reheated.
A SLURRY is made by dissolving a measured amount of thickener in an ample amount of cold liquid which is then poured into a specific amount of hot liquid to be thickened. The whole is maintained at a low boil, stirring constantly, until desired thickness is achieved-usually about 3 mins.
A ROUX is usually made with flour rather than cornstarch. A measured amount of butter or margarine is heated to foam then a measured amount of thickener is stirred in off heat, to make a smooth paste. Quickly add a measured amount of cold liquid, whisking to avoid lumps. This can then be added to a main body of a dish and stirred as above to desired consistency. It can also be made into a sauce itself by heating to a simmer and stirring constantly until thick enough, about 3 min.
Slurries are more often used for making gravies and thickening stews and soups because the fat from the meat is sufficient to make the final product smooth. If not, a pat of butter is a recommendation before serving. Roux incorporates the fat in the base, making it better for silky sauces but requiring too much fat to be healthy in larger quantities. However, both methods can be regulated to yield dishes of various thicknesses from thin to very thick.
The basic formulas are:
SLURRY: A few simple rules for making one:
1) The dissolving fluid should be room temperature and at least twice the amount of the thickener–
for example 1 Tbs. flour to 2 Tbs. liquid
2) Be sure the powdered thickener is fully dissolved
3) Remember to include the amount of dissolving fluid in the total amount to be thickened when
calculating the quantity of thickening powder needed.
4) For stews, gravies. soups etc. the base liquid should be skimmed of as much fat as possible or the
end product can become heavy, glue-like and separate. Cooling the liquid before adding the
slurry, if time allows, lets the fat congeal and be easily skimmed. This aids the incorporation
of the slurry reducing the chance of lumping.
5) Return to the heat, bring to a low boil and stir until thick as wanted, about 3 min.
PROPORTIONS:
THIN: 1 Tbs. flour or ½ Tbs. cornstarch per 1 cup liquid= Soup
*MEDIUM: 2 Tbs. flour or 1 Tbs. cornstarch per 1 cup liquid = Gravies, Casseroles, Stews, Gratins
sauces
THICK: 3 Tbs. flour or 1 ½ Tbs. cornstarch per 1 cup liquid=Soufflés, accompanying dessert sauces
ROUX: Rules for the Basic White Sauce-Also known as Béchamel Sauce * or Basic White Sauce
1) Be sure the butter or margarine are foaming. Then remove from heat at once.
2) The blending of fat and thickener must be a smooth paste
3) The liquid should be room temperature or below when added to the paste. Add it all at once
and whisk or stir vigorously to make sure it’s all incorporated before heating it to avoid lumps.
4) Stir constantly until it reaches a simmer and achieves desired thickness, about 3 min
PROPORTIONS:
THIN: 1 Tbs. flour or ½ Tbs. cornstarch + 1 Tbs. butter per 1 cup liquid = Soups
*MEDIUM: 2 Tbs. flour or 1 Tbs. cornstarch +2 Tbs. butter per 1 cup liquid =Stews, Gravies,
Gratins, Sauces
THICK: 4 Tbs. flour or 2 Tbs. cornstarch + 4 Tbs. butter per 1 ½ cup liquid = Soufflés,
accompanying dessert sauces
* Denotes most frequently used consistency with the most cook friendly variations.
TIP: 1 Tbs. = 3 tsp.
Tips and Trouble Shooting
1) For older or family recipes, cornstarch and flour can substitute for arrowroot and tapioca
2) Be sure the thickening agent is incorporated into the liquid or mixed into a smooth paste before adding it to the base liquid
3) A spoon may be all that’s needed with slurry, but for roux, use a soon for the paste then whisk in the liquid and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth before using a spoon to stir
4) The mixture will make a ripping sound as the sides of the pot are scraped with the spoon. When the sound stops, the product is cooked.
5) The base liquid can be warm when thickening a slurry but it’s best room temp or chilled for roux. Otherwise the thickening agent will cook too fast and clump.
6) Stick to the formula proportions. If lumps form, whisk briskly, use a hand mixer or a blender with a tablespoon of water added gradually.
7) If the meat is too lean to rend, canned broth may replace the natural juices for a gravy and a pat of butter may be needed at the end to ‘finish’ or to smooth it.
8) Making the roux and adding the fluid are easiest done off the heat. When the paste seems incorporated into the fluid, the pot can be returned to medium heat
9) Overcooking will thin the gravy. For this reason it’s usually made just before serving. If it’s made ahead, rather than keep it warm, allow it to cool, but stir occasionally to avoid congealing. Reheat on low then medium-
10) Always remember to adjust seasonings before serving
11) To remove excess fat, chill or skim with a spoon or by running a paper towel across the surface. Whisk to incorporate the solids
12) If over cooking or re-heating thins the gravy, allow it to cool, sift in more flour, stirring as you do and repeat the thickening process by cooking for about 3 min. This may blunt seasoning so be sure to check taste.
13) The best way to avoid trauma, or errors, is to practice. Make a few dishes requiring gravy before the big day. It will give you confidence.
Basic Recipe Examples
Turkey Gravy: Yield 1 quart
4 cups rendered drippings from cooking turkey-skimmed
8 Tbs. flour
Kitchen Bouquet
Bell’s Poultry Seasoning
Put 6 ½ cups broth in a clean pot. Combine the flour and the 1 ½ cups broth in a large glass jar with a tight lid. Shake and stir the jar until the flour and broth are well mixed. Put the pot on a medium-high burner, stir in the slurry mix and continue stirring until it comes to a slight boil. Turn down heat to medium and continue to stir until desired thickness. Reduce heat to warm, add Kitchen Bouquet for color and Bell’s for seasoning to taste. Serve within a few minutes stirring often.
MY CUCUMBER BISQUE; Serves 4 for dinner-6 for luncheon (Thin Slurry)
4 or 5 large cucumbers—peeled, seeded and roughly sliced
Chicken broth to cover- about 1 qt. with 1 cup reserved
Salt and pepper- to taste if needed
Sour Cream
Paprika
Chopped chives
2 Tbs. Flour
Boil the cucumber in the broth until very soft-about 20 mins. Make a slurry of the reserved broth and flour. Add to the pot at the end of cooking and boil for 3 mins. Blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Correct seasonings-but remember cucumber is a very delicate flavor. Chill. Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream a sprinkling of paprika and chopped chives.
MY CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN: Serves 4 to 6 (Medium Roux)
1 large head of cauliflower – leaves trimmed off and par-boiled
3 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. butter
1 ½ cups milk
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste-sparingly
¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan
Paprika
Place the cauliflower in an oven proof serving dish. Make a roux of the butter, flour and milk then cook into a white sauce adding the garlic, salt and pepper. As it finishes add the cheddar cheese until it melts. Correct seasonings, and pour over the cauliflower. Cover with the grated Parmesan, and sprinkle with Paprika, Bake in a pre-heated 350 deg. oven 30 to 40 min. or until golden and bubbling. Serve at once.
GRAVY is the narrower field with fewer variations. SAUCES on the other hand, exist in infinite variety and are extremely versatile. A working knowledge of their basics is a real asset in the kitchen. Many sauces are familiar to us and regularly used; melted butter can be a sauce, but so are mayonnaise, pancake syrup and dessert toppings. Sauces range from the simple to the complex, yet often encountering the word on a menu conveys sophistication. This is the secret charm of sauces. They can be taken for granted or add instant glamour to the ordinary. They can dress up a dish, moisten a dry one, transform leftovers or even provide the basis for the whole recipe. Sauces made by deglazing the sauté pan with added ingredients are in this category.
The simplest sauces are GLAZES, made by melting a food in its solid state, for example jelly, or sugar, over low heat while adding a liquid, usually flavored, to transform it into a pourable consistency and alter its taste to compliment the flavor of the dish it accompanies. If the dish is roasted, the glaze may be added during the cooking and will usually be mentioned on the menu.
Only slightly more complicated are REDUCTIONS. Here a liquid like broth, stock, wine or juice is simmered (cooked just under low boil) until the water content evaporates reducing the volume, thickening the consistency and intensifying the flavor. Reductions can be started over a base of cooking vegetables, a canned broth, even a deglazed pan. Often they need to be strained to smooth them and a pat of butter added at the end will give them a silky finish.
COULIS is a sauce made by of vegetables or fruit, then cooking the meat pureeing and straining it, often adding spices or herbs. These days it would seem more of a condiment, usually encountered dribbled over a dish or decoratively around a plate rim. This includes what, returning to the tomato discussion, the jarred or canned tomato “sauce “dear to many generations of spaghetti lovers as opposed to the heartier tomato “gravy”.
Sauces using a thickening agent are probably the widest varied group, encompassing three major thickening agents, egg yolks, flour and cornstarch. Arrowroot and tapioca are sometimes mentioned in recipes, usually older ones, but to keep the pantry simple, I don’t use them, substituting either flour or cornstarch.
EGG thickened sauces generally follow the same procedure. The yolks are beaten in a bowl and the other ingredients are heated on a stove. A bit of the hot liquid is poured into the eggs to warm them and prevent them scrambling when introduced to the heat as they’re added to the pot. Then the mixture is stirred constantly to prevent curdling until it thickens to the desired consistency. Because of the hazards associated with raw eggs, it’s wise to avoid the “No Cook” recipes for these sauces, but there are plenty of excellent powdered ones available for those short on time.
However, this does open the door for a look into the world of classic sauces according to the French, with some guidance from Julia Child and Alma Lach. There are 5 WARM “Mother” sauces, 2 COLD “Mother” sauces and 1 in a category of its own; for a total of 8 sauces. A “Mother” sauce is one whose taste is integral to the dish(es) with which it is served and be can be modified to create several other sauces, some of which can be further modified to create a third generation of sauces; grandchildren as it were. Several sauces can form the basis of a dish such as Lobster Newburg or Chicken a la King.
*The most fundamental of the classic French sauces is the Béchamel described above, which is quite simply a roux made with milk and/or cream. The other Mother sauces are Sauce Volute, Hollandaise,Demi-Glace, Sauce de Tomate, Mayonnaise, Oil and Vinegar and Sauces au Burre(Butter Sauces) I explore all of them, plus their offspring in Savvy Sauces and Gravies, explaining how to make them, use them and build on them, including directions for popular sauces like Marsala, Picatta, Cranberry, dessert sauces such as raspberry, even custard filling.
In the book, I show how to make sauces to fit your needs, to make them do double duty, give you options, giving recipe examples, including one multi task recipe. I also discuss pan sauces you can create as you cook. But that’s such a big topic I’m going to save it for a discussion closer to the holidays.
