First time making gravy

[johnmitsch]

I made gravy for the first time by taking the liquid from chicken cooked in wine and water and pouring it in a roux. It was delicious bit the gravy seperated and wasn't consitant. Any tips to get a good even consistancy?

[David A. Goldfarb]

A gravy made with roux shouldn't separate. Try adding the liquid a little at a time to the roux, stirring and bringing it up to a boil so it thickens, adding more, and repeating until you reach the desired quantity and consistency. If you leave it on a low simmer stirring as needed, it will continue to thicken until the flour absorbs as much liquid as it can.

Edited August 21, 2009 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[tug]

I made gravy for the first time by taking the liquid from chicken cooked in wine and water and pouring it in a roux. It was delicious bit the gravy seperated and wasn't consitant. Any tips to get a good even consistancy?

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did you skim the liguid of excess fat before you added it to the roux? maybe your gravy didnt separate - it could just have been too greasy?

[Blether]

David Goldfarb is quite right about the procedure for making a roux-based sauce.

I've made a lot of roasts in the last year or more - there's plenty to do in that last ten or 15 minutes while the meat rests, with looking after the roast potatoes, preparing veg, warming plates and the rest, and I like to be fast with the gravy.

I'll have the roast itself wrapped in foil, sitting on the carving board. I take 2 or 3 tbsp of fat off the meat roasting tin to a frying pan (if there's enough) and take off excess (if too much remains). To the tin I'll add sufficient liquid (beer, wine, stock, water, a mixture) for the gravy, set this over a burner, stir with a wooden spoon and scrape up the crusted juices. I stop when I've dissolved as much as I can, and when the liquid comes to a boil - that's about the same time. This stays on a holding heat.

The fat in the frying pan (made up with butter or oil if it's insufficient) gets a tbsp or two of flour, then I set it over heat, and stir and fry the roux for a minute or two without colouring. Stirring away at the roux with the wooden spoon in the right hand, I lift the roasting pan and pour all the juices in to the fry pan at once (and dump the roasting pan in the sink so I can grab the frypan handle), stirring all the time till the gravy is smooth. It's a matter of ten seconds or so and I don't get lumps this way.

Lastly, I open the foil surrounding the meat, form one edge into a makeshift pouring V, pour off the juices that the roast has shed, into the gravy, stir and adjust seasoning.

If in the end you don't feel it's rich / glossy enough (doesn't have enough fat), you can always mount the gravy with additional butter.

FWIW, when I learned to make gravy 30-odd years ago, we did it by putting a little flour into the roasting pan with the fat & juices, stirring into the fat over heat, then gradually adding either cold or hot water. I find it easier and more workable doing roux and juices separately. A final point is that it allows a chance at recovery if for any reason the juices in the pan are too burnt - you can stop scraping before it's too late and decant the juices to a saucepan.

[PopsicleToze]

You want to strain most of the grease before you make the roux, then make the roux in the couple of tablespoons (or whatever qty you're making) of grease left in the pan. If you have excess grease, then the gravy will separate with grease settling on top.

Rhonda

[johnmitsch]

thanks guys i defenitly think it was just too greasy. im going to try to make it again today, using all these tips.