If you have a roast in the oven, you can make a fantastic gravy with the cooking juices. If the roast isn't there, don't worry! You can always make a sauce with cream and broth for an easy method. Is your problem with time? In this article you will also find a recipe to overcome this difficulty. With these three methods you can never fail to make a gravy sauce.
Ingrediants
Quick Recipe
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 240 ml of broth
Without Cooking Bottom
- 115 g of butter
- 100 g of flour
- 1 liter of chicken broth
- 80 ml of cooking cream (optional)
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
With the cooking base
- Cooking funds
- 70 g of flour or cornstarch
- Broth (optional)
- Butter (optional)
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Quick Recipe
Step 1. Heat 240ml of broth in a saucepan over medium heat
You can use any broth you want: chicken, beef or vegetable. Everyone is fine and the choice depends only on the dish you are going to match the sauce with (chicken with chicken and so on) and your personal tastes.
The quantities for this recipe are enough for 2-4 servings, so you won't need a very large pan. However, you can easily double or triple the quantities to adapt the preparation to your needs. Adjust the size of the pot accordingly
Step 2. Put two tablespoons of butter and flour in a small bowl and cream them
Make sure you use soft but not melted butter or you will never get a creamy mixture. You will need to obtain a smooth paste which in France is called "beurre manié."
If the butter becomes lumpy, let it sit for a few minutes as it means it's too cold. Lower the heat of the broth and return to work the butter after 5-10 minutes. Then pick up where you left off
Step 3. Add the butter mixture to the broth and mix vigorously with a whisk
At first it will have a slightly lumpy appearance, not at all attractive, just like the dough of butter and flour. Then slowly it will mix with the broth, slowly thickening the liquid.
Continue mixing carefully throughout the rest of the recipe. This way you incorporate air and the sauce thickens faster
Step 4. Lower the heat to low and wait for the sauce to thicken
If it is too hot it will start to boil which is not what you want as foam will form. Over low heat, continue stirring lightly to check how cooking is progressing. It will take at least 10 minutes, so be patient!
When it feels dense enough, take the spoon test. Dip a spoon in the sauce and then lift it up. Does it remain veiled in sauce? Does the gravy “drip” as it should?
Step 5. Flavor to taste
Especially with "quick" gravy sauces (without cream or cooking juices) it is advisable to add a little salt and pepper or spices to your liking. Taste the sauce with each flavoring addition to make sure you don't overdo it.
Remember that gravy always goes with another dish, so if it's not too strong, that's fine. It must be combined harmoniously with other foods
Method 2 of 3: Bottomless
Step 1. Start with the roux
It is a cooked mixture of flour and butter that must reach a smooth consistency to which you will add cold broth and then cook it until completely thickened. Here's how to do it:
- Take 115 g of butter and cut it into small pieces, add it to a medium-sized pan.
- Melt it over medium heat, it must become frothy. If the butter starts to burn, it means you are using too high a heat.
- Add 100 g of flour.
Step 2. Work the mixture with a whisk until smooth
At first glance it might seem an unpleasant compound, as it is a buttery and thick paste, but over time it will turn into a smooth and silky cream. Keep stirring to incorporate air (which will thicken the gravy) even if you are cooking the roux over low heat.
After about 6-12 minutes it should develop an oven-baked cake aroma, it won't be immediate. This means that the flour is cooked and that the gravy will not have a raw flour aftertaste
Step 3. Add 240ml of broth to start
You can use the broth you prefer; chicken, beef or vegetables. Keep stirring as you pour in the broth as it needs to be absorbed by the roux. When the first 240 ml of broth are incorporated, add as many while stirring. Continue like this until you have added all the broth and you have obtained a rather liquid but smooth gravy sauce.
Again, do not worry if the sauce looks like a soup, it is completely normal at this stage. This is how it should be
Step 4. Cook the mixture over low heat to thicken it
The sauce will be ready when it forms a veil on the spoon and drips like a thick sauce and not a stream of liquid. This will happen after 10-15 minutes.
- Stir constantly to prevent a film from forming on the surface, to prevent the bottom from getting too hot and to allow for even heat diffusion. It will take a while, be patient.
- However, the sauce is not ready yet, don't be alarmed if it still looks like it is being prepared because it is!
Step 5. Once it has thickened, add 80ml of cream
Whisk it for 2-3 minutes and then do another spoon test. The sauce should cover the back of the cutlery and look just like the classic gravy.
Step 6. Flavor to taste
Although this sauce does not require special additions, salt and pepper are the most used spices. Alternatively, you can consider these little-known combinations:
- Ketchup.
- Soy sauce.
- Coffee.
- Sugar.
- Mushrooms cream.
- Sour cream.
Method 3 of 3: With the Stock Bottom
Step 1. Store the roast cooking juices
To prepare a gravy sauce, first of all you need to have the stock and meat residues sticking to the pan in which you cooked the roast, regardless of whether it is chicken, turkey, beef or duck. All of this will give your sauce a flavor that can hardly be replicated with broth or ready-made mixes.
Pour the stock into a large bowl with high sides. You will have to separate them later, so the larger the container, the better
Step 2. Eliminate the fat
Let the bottoms sit for a couple of minutes until the fat begins to float to the surface. At this point, remove it with a spoon and transfer it to a graduated cup. Don't throw it! While it may seem unappetizing it will give the sauce a unique texture.
- Check the exact amount of fat you have available because you will need an identical amount of flour. You should find yourself with at least 60ml of fat, but if not, don't worry.
- Keep the degreased portion of the cooking juices in the container as you will use it later.
Step 3. In a saucepan, add the flour and fat in equal parts
Heat everything over medium-high heat. If you managed to get 60ml of fat, use 60ml of flour (measure with a measuring cup for liquids, not a scale!)
- If you need to make a large amount of sauce but don't have enough fat, you can add some butter to make up the difference. Simply add it to the rest of the fat and let it melt before incorporating the flour (obviously adjust the amount of the latter).
- If you don't have flour, use corn starch.
Step 4. Mix the fat with the flour
Use a wooden spoon and work the mixture until it becomes slightly thick and nutty, like peanut butter. This will take a couple of minutes. Be careful not to let it burn!
If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, it is burning. The best way to prevent this from happening is to lower the heat (if you think it is excessive) and mix all the mixture evenly
Step 5. Add the broth
At this stage you will also need to pour in the cooking funds. Pour them into the pan with the roux and mix them to incorporate them. Keep stirring until you get a smooth, viscous sauce just like gravy should be.
If you don't have enough stock to cook all the gravy you want, you can add some commercial broth. Try to use a broth prepared with the same type of meat as your cooking stocks: for example, beef broth if you have cooked a roast beef or chicken if you have prepared a roast chicken
Step 6. Add spices to taste
The gravy should already be tasty enough thanks to the cooking juices, but many people still add a pinch of salt, pepper or even some sour or plain cream, ketchup, soy sauce or coffee (in the case of beef gravy). Choose the flavor you prefer for your sauce.
Step 7. Finished
Advice
- To prepare the sauce with cornstarch use this same recipe and mix the starch in cold water before adding it to the broth (always add a little fat and the liquid used to deglaze the pan as well as the small pieces of meat. scorched). Make sure it dissolves completely by stirring with a whisk, then start cooking it.
- If you have any sauce left over, keep it in a container or glass jar; as a single precaution cover the sauce with water or milk.
- If you have time, buy bones (of the type of meat you are cooking) from the butcher's shop and toast them in the oven at 200 °, add them to the broth to release all their flavor and sugars. You will add a lot more flavor to your sauce.
- If you don't have much time and your sauce isn't thickening, add a little more flour and butter to speed up the process. Even if the result will not be optimal, your sauce will be better than most of the sauces bought ready.
