Cooking 101: Making Gravy

So you've cooked your chicken, roast beast or turkey. Now you really want some gravy to go on those mashed potatoes. Here is a simple recipe for a basic brown gravy to serve with any roasted meat. This was always my job on occasions.

Brown Gravy

Ingredients:

• Drippings from roaster containing chicken, roast, duck, goose, lamb or turkey
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Remove bird or beast from the pan to a serving dish. Strain the drippings from the roaster using a fine sieve or cheesecloth and return clear liquid to the pan. Scrape sides of pan to get the essence (flavorful part of the roasting process) to the bottom of the pan.
2. Mix cornstarch and water (approximately 2 -4 tbsp cornstarch to 1 c cold water) together in a measuring cup until creamy (yes, this is again a type of roux)
3. Heat the drippings in the pan and slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. A wooden spoon always works best
4. Continue adding water or corn starch/water mix until your gravy is smooth and creamy, to your desired thickness. Heat until simmering.

Note: Adding cornstarch gives you a clearer gravy. Using flour is the traditional method but flour tends to clump more and isn't as clear and attractive. If you leave bits of onion in the gravy, it will be a bit lumpy but more flavorful. Always salt and pepper to your preferences. If your meat has been well seasoned, you won't need to add additional spices. Also, please remember to always mix your starch with a bit of water to add it to a hot liquid, or you will get lumps. Some people like to also add some OXO or the equivalent to the drippings to make gravy. This works well if your fat hasn't browned - it gives it more color and taste.

Cooking 101: White Sauce

I've had a request for white sauce, which is perfect because it's the first thing I ever cooked! My mom taught me this when I was about 9 years old and I have never forgotten.
White Sauce

Basic white sauce can be used as a sauce for meat pies (including pot pies) or perogies and so many other dishes. You can add grated cheese to turn this simple sauce into a cheese sauce for variety, or you can spice it up with the addition of a bit of sherry or other additions to flavor it. The white sauce (also called bechamel) is essentially a mixture of fat and flour (roux) heated until thickened, to which milk is added. It is quite simple and takes few ingredients, but does require constant mixing to keep it smooth and creamy.

Ingredients

• Approximately 2 -3 tbsp butter (not margerine) for each cup of prepared sauce
• Approximately 2 tbsp white flour
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 c milk

Preparation

1. Place butter in a cold sauce pan and heat on medium until the butter sizzles.
2. Add flour to butter, creating a thick paste. Continue to stir for 1-3 minutes - the longer you heat the roux, the darker the sauce will be!
3. Slowly pour in 1/2 c milk, stirring constantly with wooden spoon to break up lumps and make a smooth creamy mixture. The spoon apparently stops the building up of glutens and keeps the integrity of the sauce.
4. Add additional 1/2 c milk a bit at a time, stirring constantly, until you get your desired consistency. Simmer on low until thick and creamy.

If it gets too thick, slowly add a bit more milk and stir. If it's too runny, mix a bit of flour in 2 tbsp of milk and add to the sauce. It takes experimenting to get it just right. This recipe may be doubled.