Conference turris::cooks

Gravy is simple.  Take the giblets and boil them in water with salt.  Remove
and reserve giblets.  Take 8 tbs of drippings from pan turkey cooked in put
in sauce pan.  Slowly stir in .25 cups of flour.  Slow stir in 2 cups of
giblet broth till gravy thickens.  Optionally add .5 cup of cream and chopped
giblets.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Boil the Giblets and Neckbone with a stalk of celery and carrot.  When turkey
is cooked remove from pan heat on the stove and add giblet stock less the
celery and carrot, chop giblets and add.  Thicken with corn starch or flour.

works every time.

                                         steve

re: 190

I use the meat of the giblet and neckbone in the stuffing. For the gravy, I
have found an easy way to get started. Take an old mayonaise or peanut butter
jar, add about a cup of hot tap water, 2-3 tbls. flour, some salt, pepper and
poultry seasoning. Put the cover on and shake it. Pour slowly into a sauce
pan with turkey drippings and stir over low heat. If you prefer a darker gravy,
add a drop or two of "GRAVY MASTER" adding a drop at a time till desired color
is achieved. Caution: a drop goes a long way! 

Not only is this a fast and easy method, but you also get lump-free gravy.

Note: a tip on golden brown turkey without basting....just put the dressed
turkey in a brown grocery bag and cook as usual... I allow 20 mins./lb. @
350 deg.

ENJOY!!!

    I KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE ANYONE RESPONDED TO THIS REQUEST
    AND THAT MARCH IS NOT THE TIME THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE THINKING OF
    TURKEY, BUT I LOVE TURKEY AND GRAVY, AND I DO MAKE EXCELLENT GRAVY.
    HERE GOES.
       TAKE PAN DRIPPINGS AND REMOVE FAT. BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON'T
    REMOVE TO MUCH DRIPPINGS WITH FAT. I USUALLY USE A SEPERATOR. ITS
    A LARGE CUP WITH THE SPOUT COMING FROM THE BOTTOM.THERES NOT AS
    MUCH FAT AS MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE.
    
       PUT DRIPPINGS BACK INTO ROASTING PAN (METAL) AND PUT ON BURNER.
    ADD WATER TO MAKE TWO CUPS IF NEEDED. HEAT TO BOILING WHILE SCRAPPING
    BOTTOM AND SIDES WITH WOODEN SPOON.
       ADD A TBS OF ROUX (MELTED BUTTER AND FLOUR TO A THICK PASTE)
    STIRRING TO PREVENT BURNING. ADJUST THICKENING,MORE ROUX OR WATER.
    I SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER ONLY AND BELIEVE ME IF YOU HAVE PAN
    DRIPPINGS AND DON'T THROW IT OUT TRYING TO GET RID OF THE FAT, YOU'LL
    HAVE A RICH GRAVY.

    I've never heard of a brown gravy for baked ham, are you thinking
    about a glaze?
    
    The glaze I use:
    
    Pierce ham all over with cloves and place in baking pan.
                                                            
    Mix together 1/2 cup (or more) yellow mustard with 1/2 cup brown
    sugar.   Mix until thoroughly dissolved.                
                                                            
    Spread mustard/sugar over top of ham.
    
    Pour 1/2 cup (more or less) of orange juice or ginger ale over top
    of ham. 
    
    While the ham is baking, baste the top of ham with the mixture that
    has settled into the pan.  This doesn't really make gravy, but it
    keeps the ham from getting dry.
    
    Since ham is pre-cooked, I bake the ham until the coating has taken
    on a nice brown, glazed look (about an hour).
    
    I've never had complaints!
    
      ^_^
     (>.<)
      ) ( Jeannie
       

    Heres my recipe for raisin sauce.....Ive only served this with ham,
    or shoulder....it tends to be on the sweet size...
    
    Put raisins in a pan..put enough water in to cover....let stand
    overnight...
    
    Make a roux of 2 tbs flour to 2 tbs butter (margerine)...cook til
    light....
    
    Add about 1/2 cup of the water from the raisins
              some orange juice
              some cherry juice
              some juice from canned pinneapple
    
    You kind of have to play the above by ear....  you can put more
    orange juice in than the other two....I usually put about a tbs
    of cherry juice and 3-4 tbs pinneapple..
    
    Then when this is all simmered together it will gey syruppy...
    Add in the raisins....you can also add small chuncks of pinneapple
    and some cherries.....
    
    And thats it.....I dont remember the exact proportions but those
    above should come close.....the more roux you make the more juice
    you can put in....
    
    Rick

    The way I make my Turkey gravy, is to simmer the heart neck and
    gizzard with an onion and stick of celery, covered, all day until it
    is time to make the gravy. Add water if needed during the day. 
    
    I make it in the same pan the turkey was cooked in, on top of the
    stove. I separate the drippings from the fat, and put them back
    in the pan. I then follow the basic gravy recipe in the box of Argo
    Corn Starch exactly, using the broth from the giblets instead of
    plain water. 
    
    Bring the liquid to a boil before adding cornstarch mixture, and
    stir constantly with one of those like slotted spatulas, or a slotted
    spoon to keep the gravy from sticking while thickening.
    
    Everyone always loves it, and I have never had a lump yet.
                                                           
    YHC
    

    My grandmother always chopped up (quarters) a large onion and put
    it on and around the turkey or roast.  As they blacken, they add
    a nice color to the gravy, not to mention the flavor!
    

    I saw this recipe for "Smithfield Ham" on t.v. the other night
    and what they did for gravy was, believe it or not, pour 6 cups
    of freshly brewed coffee in with the meat drippings!  Pour off
    most of the fat, add the coffee, wisk and strain into serving dish.
    The chef didn't thicken this in any way, but If you wanted to I
    would just make it like any other meat gravy.
    
    Don't knock it 'till you try it!
    
    Lynda
     
    
    
    
                                                              

re: .4

"red-eye" gravy is a southern tradition.....it's an acquired taste.  I
personally don't like it, but I hate coffee so that is to be expected.     

    Strain the turkey drippings into a sauce pan, and bring to a boil.
    While waiting for the drippings to boil, dilute about 1 Tablespoon
    cornstarch in about 1/2 cup of water (nothing is exact when making
    gravy!).  When the drippings have come to a boil, add some (about
    1 Tablespoon at a time) of the diluted mixture to the drippings.
    Keep stirring the gravy in the sauce pan, allowing it to thicken.
    If it hasn't thickened up enough for your taste, add more of the
    diluted cornstarch mixture (make more if necessary, the 1 Tablespoon
    cornstarch per 1/2 cup water is just to get you going).  Don't add 
    the cornstartch directly to the gravy, or you'll end up with lumps!  ]
    Also, be sure to add the diluted cornstarch mixture just a little
    at a time, and make sure that it is fully blended in before adding
    more, otherwise you could end up with VERY thick gravy before you
    know it.  And, just in case, the best way to get rid of lumps in
    the gravy is to just throw the gravy into the blender for a couple
    of rounds.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    
    
    

    
    
    Add cream of chicken soup (undilluted) to the turkey drippings in
    a sauce pan.  Simmer on the stove, whisk every once and a while,
    and add some black pepper.
    
    Donna
    
    
    

    You can also add milk to the turkey drippings if you
    need more liquid.  Makes a nice rich gravy.

    
     My wife and I use this method because we always used to get into big
    trouble trying to make gravy the usual way. It's great gravy and simple
    to prepare although it may sound odd.
    
     I assume you will be stuffing your bird. Make an extra batch of
    stuffing (we make it from scratch, bread, butter, onions, celery, Bell
    seasoning, I wouldn't use store bought stuff) and put it on the bottom of 
    the pan. Put the turkey innards (neck,gizzard, etc) on top of the stuffing 
    if desired. Fill the pan so that the layer of stuffing is covered with
    water then put your turkey into the pan. Put it all into the oven and
    cook as usual. 
    
     When you check your turkey periodically, make sure there is plenty of 
    liquid in the bottom of the pan (add more water if there isn't). The
    idea is to have the bread disintegrate and floating in liquid will
    prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
    
      When the turkey is done, remove turkey from pan and put the pan onto
    the top of the stove. Remove turkey innards, dice and put back into the
    pan. Stir the gravy to making sure the bread has disintigrated and
    isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring gravy to a boil and reduce 
    to desired consistency. 
    
      Although a bit unorthodox, this is a wonderful tasting gravy that has
    never failed to impress our Thanksgiving guests.
    
      - Bob

    For those of us who prefer gravy made with much less fat than usual,
    gravy will thicken perfectly without fat.  Most sauces, in fact,
    can be made without a butter roux.  Try the following for a turkey
    gravy that's delicious and a little lighter than the usual:

    When your turkey is done, take the turkey drippings and put them
    in a tall bowl or measuring cup.  Let them sit a few minutes and
    the fat will rise to the top.  Skim the fat off.
    
    Take some turkey broth (see below or use canned) or water.  Dissolve
    1 Tablespoon cornstarch or 1/4 cup flour in 1/2 cup broth or water.
    Mix well to blend.  This is your thickener.
    
    Put the drippings into a saucepan over low heat.  If there's not
    enough drippings add some turkey broth, water, or milk.  I like
    to make about one cup of gravy per person, so gauge your measurements
    by that if you want - gravy is good with leftovers.  Anyhow, when
    the mixture is simmering slowly, add about half the thickener. 
    Blend into gravy with a whisk.  At this point I like to add seasonings
    such as sage, rosemary or savory or thyme, pepper, salt if needed.
    If the gravy is not thick enough after a few minutes of cooking,
    keep adding thickener and cooking until it is.  Note that the gravy
    will be a little thicker when it cools slightly than when it's 
    cooking, so stop before you think it's the perfect thickness.

    Gravy additions:  I like adding things to gravy.  One favorite is
    chopped giblets, prepared as below.  Another is mushrooms, sauteed
    a little in butter or sherry.  Some people like to add things like
    oysters to both gravy and stuffing - suit your taste (bleck!).

    Turkey giblet broth:
        
        When you put the turkey in the oven in the morning, take the giblets
    (but not the liver - it would disintegrate and besides it makes
    good pate) and neck and cook them in a medium pot with 3-4 cups water,
    a carrot or two, a few stalks of celery (or use the tops and leaves
    off of a whole bunch of celery - this is a good way to use the leaves
    up), an onion or two, cut in quarters.  Simmer for 1-2 hours.  Strain
    the broth into a bowl.  Save the meat and discard the veggies. Put
    the broth in the fridge if you have a few hours until dinner.  The
    fat will harden and come to the top.  Chop up all the meat, removing
    the skin from the neck and discarding it (or feed it to the cat
    or dog).  The broth, by the way, also makes a good substitute for
    water if there's not enough juice in the pan to baste the turkey.
    And I sometimes make it early (the day before) so I can use the
    broth in the stuffing mix, especially if I'm making giblet stuffing.
    You can also cook the wing-tips with the broth if they don't look
    at all meaty - they add flavor.

    Can you freeze left over Turkey Gravy?
    
    Thanks, Pam

    
    I have, with no adverse effects.
    
    Carla
    

    Does anyone out there have any mushroom gravy recipes?
    
    If anyone is aquainted with the mushroom gravy served at the Steak
    Loft, this is the type of gravy recipe I'm looking for.
    
    The gravy is not very dark in color, but it is rather thick in
    texture and not overly spicey.
    
    I checked all the Gravy files and came up with zero.
    
    Any help is appreciated.
                                  Thankse

    Saute some mushrooms and toss them in with a can of golden mushroom
    soup?  I use cream of soups for the base of a lot of gravy-like sauces.
    
    meg

    re: mushroom gravy
    
     If you saute a steak, then my favorite way to make a gravy is as
    follows.
    
    remove the meat from the pan when it's nearly done and keep warm.
    
    pour off fat/ add oil as necessary
    
    saute 1 TBS chopped shallots, 1/2 lb fresh white muchrooms (sliced or
    quartered) on med/high heat. don't let the shallots burn, but try to
    get some color to the mushrooms.
    
    Deglaze the pan with some red wine (1/2 - 3/4 cup or so, depending on
    how much gravy you want. Exact measures are not required.) Add about
    the same amount of beef stock (warm is best; I preheat in the
    microwave). Reduce on high heat to about half volume.
    
     Add any dried herbs you may like now. (thyme, rosemary, basil,
    marjoram are all nice)
    
     Mix a tablespoon or so of cornstarch or arrowroot with 2 TBS of cold
    stock, water or wine. Add in dribbles, stirring, to thicken.
    
     I usually darken the sauce a bit with kitchen bouquet or gravy master
    at this point. Taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper, and
    serve.