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Dave and the Drag Queens

Dave and the Drag Queens
Bread - The Staff of Life

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

GRAVY



Gravy - who could live without it ? Born of the caramelization of our meat juices and aromatics. Meat fat, juices and the "fond" found at the bottom of a roasting pan is the stuff of legend for your pan gravy. All meats are contenders. All manners of cooking are eligible ( as long as you can catch the juices). Roasting is preferred. I use a classic mirepoix for most gravies. Mirepoix is 50 % onion-25% carrot and 25 % celery. Use this classic French aromatic mix under your roasted meats at all times. However do not hesitate to try different combinations. Bell Peppers- Parsnip-Ginger-Garlic-Shallot-Scallion-Celery Root-Horseradish. I chop my aromatics and place them under the roasted meats. They shield the meat from burning on the bottom and create the base for your gravy. The drippings will help to cook the veggies and lay the foundation for your gravy.

Lets speak on the " Fond" for a minute. Deglazing is a fancy and intimidating word that means to pour some cold liquid into a very hot pan to get up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Those brown bits are where the flavors concentrate, and it is called “fond.” Fond is French for “bottom".






After you have browned the meat and removed it from the pan, and allow to rest. Remove the excess fat. Heat the pan over medium-high heat as you add some deglazing liquid. The heat will help loosen and dissolve the really stubborn deposits as you scrape the pan with a straight edged metal spatula. The deglazing liquid can be wine, stock, almost any liquid, even water. I suggest wine for the initial deglaze and stock for the sauce. Do the deglaze and prepare to make the roux. Scrape the Bejesus out of the pan getting up all fond. The idea is to loosen up any bits of meat and all that "burned" on stuff that is stuck on the bottom of the pan and incorporate them into the liquid because they have lots of flavor. The resulting liquid will become the flavor in your gravy. Deglaze - and reduce lower heat. Allow the aromatics to cook fully. Here you may need to adjust the amount of fat- add or take away. Now you will make the roux. Add flour to the pan and mix thoroughly. You will need a 50/50 combination for fat and flour to create a solid roux. If there is not enough fat to coddle the flour please add more. Cook the roux. This is important. The more you cook the less thickening. The less you cook the less flavor. A golden color and a -sweet smell over the pan is preferred.






Now add your stock. Homemade or canned - try to have a good quality soup base in the fridge at all times. Base is reduced stock - a commercial Demi. Many flavors are available. Bear Creek is an excellent commercial brand that is available in almost all supermarkets. A spoonful will make an ok stock or soup into an unforgettable experience. Work that gravy in the pan with a whisk. break up any clumps of flour and incorporate the liquid into the sauce. Lower the heat and reduce the sauce. Simmer - simmer- simmer. Some chefs will strain some will not. I leave that to you. Taste your gravy and season accordingly. Finish with butter, cream, sour cream, and whisk in the finishing product.
If you allow the gravy to sit the fat will form a skin on top. Reheat slightly and re-whisk.






Salt and pepper to taste.









******** Give us this day our daily taste. Restore to us soups that spoons will not sink in and sauces which are never the same twice. Raise up among us stews with more gravy than we have bread to blot it with. Give us pasta with a hundred fillings. ********** Robert Farrar Capon






Love you all - keep reading - keep eating - keep feeding TFN