Caramelized Turkey Gravy
By: Nicole Aloni
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 5:54pm

Ingredients




1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
1/2 cup Madeira
1/2 cup to 1  homemade chicken stock or store-bought organic,low-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

1 Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked vegetables from the roasting pan to a bowl. Discard the bay leaf. Purée the vegetables in food processor or blender and set aside. 2 Set the roasting pan on the stove, across 2 burners. Tip the pan to collect the liquids in the corner. Spoon off all visible fat. 3 Raise the heat to medium under the pan. When the pan starts to sizzle, add the white wine and use a spoon or whisk to stir up and dissolve the brown bits sticking to the sides and bottom. 4 When all of these cooking solids are melted into the wine, stir in 1/2 cup (or more) of the roasted vegetable purée. Let simmer to thicken 4 to 5 minutes, add Madeira and chicken stock, and season to taste with salt and pepper. If the gravy is too thin, add a little more vegetable purée and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes to blend and achieve the thickness that you prefer.

About


 created this method of producing gravy as a balm to all of my friends and students who regard the preparation of Thanksgiving gravy as a Rubicon they must cross each November. Seriously. I have never been to a Thanksgiving meal in someone else's home (since I've been older than 12) where I have not been begged by the overwrought host,"Please, please could  you just make the gravy?" Clearly this is the tipping point for the occasional host.
I don't know if this is the result of too much lumpy gravy in their past, or just the fact that it's only prepared once a year. Whatever. I have solid evidence that gravy-making is the last straw for most people hosting a Thanksgiving meal (or any other time an à la minute sauce must be produced).
This revolutionary way to make a thick gravy is the solution; The complex flavors of the slowly roasted vegetables and garlic from the pan in this recipe produce a delightful sauce. Actually, calling this gravy hardly does the robust flavor justice. And there’s no tricky flour-browning step to complicate matters.
Give this gravy a try with the Maple-Glazed Thanksgiving Turkey here. Yum!