Guiltless Turkey Gravy Recipes

Steps:

• Pour drippings from roasting pan into bowl, leaving brown particles in pan. Return 1/4 cup drippings to roasting pan. (Measure accurately because too little fat makes gravy lumpy.) Stir in flour. (Measure accurately so gravy is not greasy.)
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Place turkey giblets and neck into a saucepan with 4 cups water and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer until broth is reduced to 3 cups, about 1 hour. Strain broth and reserve 1/2 cup of giblets; chop.
• Combine giblet broth and turkey drippings in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water in a bowl until smooth. Whisk cornstarch into stock and drippings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and stir chopped giblets and hard-cooked egg into the gravy. Season with salt and black pepper. Simmer until gravy is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• When your turkey goes into the oven, start the broth: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and turkey neck and giblets; cook, stirring, until the giblets are browned, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, herb sprigs and bay leaf; cover and simmer while the turkey roasts, about 2 hours. Strain the broth and keep warm; reserve the neck and giblets, if desired.
• When your turkey is done, transfer it to a cutting board and pour all the pan drippings into a degreasing cup. Add 1/2 cup of the prepared broth to the roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. (If the bits are stuck, put the pan over a low burner to loosen them.) Add the bits and liquid to the degreasing cup.
• Let the fat rise to the top of the degreasing cup, then spoon off 1/2 cup fat and transfer to a large saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux: Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour browns slightly, about 4 minutes.
• Gradually add the hot broth to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Pour the dark roasting juices from the degreasing cup into the gravy, discarding any remaining fat. If desired, chop the giblets and shred the neck meat; add to the gravy. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flavored butter, if desired.
• Start with cold heavy cream and mix on high speed.
• After about 3 minutes, you'll have whipped cream; continue mixing.
• After about 6 more minutes, the butter will clump and separate from the liquid. Strain and wrap the butter in cheesecloth, then squeeze out the liquid.
• Tip: To make perfect rounds, shape flavored butter into a log using parchment paper; wrap and chill, then slice.
• Pumpkin
• Mash 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin, 1 stick softened butter, 1/4 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt.
• Spiced Cranberry
• Simmer 1/2 cup cranberries with 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 strip lemon zest, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 clove, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard the zest, cinnamon and clove; let cool. Pulse in a food processor with 1 stick softened butter and a pinch of salt.
• Bourbon-Raisin
• Microwave 1/2 cup raisins with 1 tablespoon bourbon, covered, 45 seconds; let cool. Pulse in a food processor with 1 stick softened butter, 1 tablespoon chopped chives and a pinch of salt.
• Sage Brown Butter
• Melt 1 stick butter over medium heat and cook until browned. Add 1/4 cup sage and fry 30 seconds; drain on paper towels, then chop. Let the brown butter cool; mash with 1 stick softened butter, the sage and a pinch of salt.

Steps:

• In large saucepan over medium heat, bring stock and pan juices to a boil.
• Meanwhile, blend the cornstarch and water until smooth.
• Working constantly, slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling pan juices, continue to stir until gravy has thickened.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Bring stock to a simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm over medium-low heat.
• Carefully tilt roasting pan to pour turkey drippings into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl or measuring glass; discard solids. Let liquid settle, then skim fat from surface. Set 6 Tbsp. fat aside in another small bowl for making the roux; discard any remaining fat or save for another use.
• Place roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high heat and pour in 1 cup stock, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour into bowl with drippings.
• Reduce heat to medium and heat reserved 6 Tbsp. fat in roasting pan. Whisk in rice flour and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is toasty-smelling and darkened to the color of peanut butter, 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in wine and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in pan drippings, about ½ cup at a time, whisking until incorporated after each addition. Whisk in remaining stock in the same manner (you may not need all of it; you want the final gravy to be pourable but with some body) and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Whisk in miso (if using) and 1 tsp. vinegar.
• If you prefer a smoother texture, strain gravy through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan. Taste gravy and season with salt and pepper if needed (if your turkey was brined, the gravy may not require more salt). If your gravy tastes flat, stir in up to 1 tsp. more vinegar to brighten. Keep gravy warm over medium-low heat until ready to serve. Do ahead: Gravy can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle turkey parts lightly with salt and pepper, place in roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Roast 2 hours, basting with butter every 20 minutes or so.
• Transfer roasted turkey to a stockpot and set roasting pan aside. Add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns to stockpot. Add cold water just to cover, bring to a simmer and cook, slightly uncovered, about 6 hours.
• Meanwhile, place roasting pan on top of stove and bring juices to a simmer over low heat. Pour in wine (or water), stirring and scraping to bring up browned bits. (If using wine, simmer at least 5 minutes.) Pour all liquid into a bowl and refrigerate. When deglazing liquid is cool, lift off top layer of fat; reserve fat. Add deglazing liquid to stockpot.
• When stock is golden and flavorful, strain into a large container and refrigerate. When cool, lift off fat and mix it with reserved fat from deglazing liquid. Reserve 3 quarts stock for gravy and refrigerate or freeze the rest for another use.
• In a deep skillet or large heavy pot, melt 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) reserved turkey fat over medium heat. If you do not have enough turkey fat, use additional butter to make 3/4 cup. Gradually whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking, until golden brown and toasty-smelling, 3 to 5 minutes or longer for darker gravy.
• Whisk in a small amount of stock (this prevents lumps), then add remainder more quickly and whisk until smooth. Simmer, continually whisking, until thickened. If too thick, thin with more stock or a little wine and simmer briefly. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, whisk in a few tablespoons cold butter to smooth and enrich gravy.