Turkey Gravy That’s a Thanksgiving Treat

Question: Every year my Thanksgiving turkey gravy turns out terribly. Can you help me break this pattern and serve a smooth, flavorful product?

Answer: In “Sunset Easy Basics for Good Cooking” (Lane Publishing: 1983), the editors of Sunset books give these directions for making giblet gravy:

“While turkey is roasting, place neck and giblets (except liver) in a two-quart pan and cover with four cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender (about 1 1/2 hours). Strain and reserve stock; discard neck. Chop giblets, cover and refrigerate.

“Remove cooked turkey to a platter, lightly cover with foil, and let stand for 15 minutes before carving. Add one cup of the reserved stock to pan drippings. Place over medium heat, and scrape browned particles free from pan; pour mixture into a large measuring cup. Fat will rise to top of mixture.

“Determine amount of gravy you want--for each cup liquid, you’ll need two tablespoons each fat (from drippings) and all-purpose flour. Spoon fat off mixture in measuring cup; measure desired amount of fat and pour into a pan (if you don’t have enough turkey fat, add butter); discard any remaining fat. Add enough of the reserved stock to drippings in cup to reach desired amount of liquid; set aside.

“Heat fat over medium heat. Stir in flour (equal to amount of fat) and cook, stirring, until bubbly. Remove from heat. Gradually pour in stock mixture, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until gravy boils and thickens. For thinner gravy, add more broth. Stir in giblets and season to taste with salt and pepper.”

For example, let’s say you want to make two cups of gravy. It means you’ll need four tablespoons, or one-quarter cup of fat and the same amount of flour. After removing the rest of the fat from the pan drippings, add enough reserved stock to equal two cups. For four cups, or a quart of gravy, use one-half cup fat and flour.

Variations: If preferred, the giblets may be omitted from the gravy and canned chicken broth may be substituted for the homemade broth. For those who prefer not to use any fat when making gravy, the flour may simply be browned, stirring constantly, or sprinkled over a couple tablespoons of heated chicken stock and stirred constantly until browned. Then continue as already directed.

To aid in separating the fat and drippings, specially designed measuring cups are available at a relatively low cost in housewares departments. A flat whisk may also be helpful for stirring the gravy as it cooks.