Drown your 2020 anxiety in gravy
Remember whenwe all groused about staying home for twoweeks inMarch because of the coronavirus? Doesn’t that sound quaint? Not only havewe suffered through a pandemic, but add to that endless Zoom calls, e-learning and a particularly exhausting election. More than ever, the idea of taking a break from the outside world to surround yourself with the warmth of family sounds needed. Yet, with the rise inCOVID-19 cases across the country, many of us will be forced to skip our usual family gatherings for the first time. I knowthat’s true for me.
What better time to drown your feelings in gravy?
Sure, gravy is an automatic part of most Thanksgiving celebrations. But what if you cooked the turkey to maximize both the quality and quantity of that gravy?
In an idealworld, your Thanksgiving turkeywould be served with an endless supply of jus, which is a French term for the natural juices fromroasted meat. This sticky liquid is not only deeply meaty, it also somehowmanages to amplify the savoriness of everything it touches. Unfortunately, one of the sad facts of life is that there is never enough jus to go around. To get close to having enough for everyone on the table, you’d have to roast an extra turkey just for its juices, overcooking the meat to extract the maximum amount, which is a bit ridiculous even for me.
Gravy, instead, is the compromise. And what a delicious and deeply comforting one it is. As James Peterson relates in his in-depth cookbook “Sauces,” a gravy is “simply a jus that has been thickened in the roasting pan with flour.” You’ll also need additional liquid to extend the sauce. This is where stock comes in. While you can use store-bought stock, you’ll be rewarded with a thicker and meatier gravy if you make your own. It’d make sense to use turkey stock, but since it can be difficult to track down turkey parts at some grocery stores, a high-quality chicken stock will do just fine.
The next trick is to maximize the fond, another fancy French term, which describes the browned bits left in the pan after roasting. To access these concentrated flavors, remove the meat from the roasting pan, pour the precious roasting juices into a bowl for safe keeping, and then place the roasting pan over a burner on the stove. You’ll notice browned bits starting to caramelize, though you’llwant to stop before they burn. Deglaze the pan with stock or wine and dislodge these bits with awooden spoon.
To increase the amount of fond, cut the turkey into parts, instead of roasting it whole. But nothing goes towaste. After you cut off the breasts, thighs, legs and wings, the rest of the parts (the backbone, wingtips and neck) go into a saucepan with the stock tomake an even more concentrated elixir.
None of these steps is particularly hard, and they slowly add up to a gravy that’s infused with so much meaty flavor you’ll want to pour it over every single square inch of your Thanksgiving plate.