Turkey Gravy

The Best Turkey Gravy

I am of the opinion that the very best Turkey Gravy is made from the renderings of a Roasted Turkey that was seasoned and brined.  So hopefully you followed my Turkey Brine recipe or at least made one before you cooked your bird because this gravy recipe depends on it.  There aren’t many additional ingredients to this recipe because most of the ingredients are already there, cooked into the turkey.  So, if you’re getting exhausted and you’re looking for an amazing gravy recipe that is easy to prepare… this is the recipe for you!

Traditional vs. Gourmet Turkey Gravy

Traditional Turkey Gravy is made virtually the same with only a few subtle differences.  Gourmet gravy has flavors most folks don’t think about that profoundly effect the flavor, like citrus.  Some use lemon… I use orange, some use sherry or wine… I use beer but either way, these all produce gravy that is out of this world.  All of the other ingredients, as I mentioned before, come from the marination of the brine and the added ingredients to the roasted bird.

My Roasted Turkey, for example, is stuffed with onion, oranges and seasoned butter stuffed under the skin of the breast meat.  These ingredients, cooked down in the oven, produce drippings that create the most wonderful flavor and that’s why we use it to make gravy.  Traditional gravy uses this method as well only the gravy base is usually started with butter and flavor to make a roux.  You can do that too, if your prefer, but I keep the flour out of my recipe and I use a small amount of corn starch instead, to thicken the gravy.  I also often start my gravy recipes with bacon grease instead of the butter, because that adds more flavor as well.  Other than the addition of the fruit, tomato and rosemary, everything else is basically the same.  It’s also common to make a stock, using the turkey giblets, and add that to the gravy for flavor but that will be up to you.

Turkey Gravy Ingredients:

1 Onion, chopped
2 Oranges, pealed and separated
1 Sprig Rosemary
1/4 cup Cider
Add all of the Roasted Turkey Drippings
1/2 can Beer
2 tbsp Corn Starch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
Salt and Pepper to taste, I use white pepper.

Be sure to follow the instructions in the Turkey Gravy video tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy this is to make.

Beef Short Ribs

The Best Beef Short Ribs

These are the best Beef Short Ribs on the planet!  I know, I’m modest but this isn’t my recipe.  It’s just a real basic and classic way to cook them.  It’s pretty much a Roast Beef recipe with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.  So, I really can’t take credit for it.  But I don’t mind showing you the easiest way to do it, from A to Z, to keep it short and simple.  Just know that you don’t have to do it exactly the way I do, so feel free to improvise.  This recipe can also be done in the oven or crock-pot if you don’t have the time to baby sit a pot on the stove.  Also, add your potatoes to the pot if you don’t want to make mashed potatoes.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

These ribs are nothing short of excellent and this really is, pretty much, just a Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe.  The only difference is that I don’t dust the ribs with flour, after I salt and pepper.  But feel free to do it, if that’s what you prefer.  There’s no special reason why I don’t or didn’t.  The truth is I just got in a hurry ,between cooking and filming, and I just added them to the pot before I realized.  And, as you can imagine, I completely pulled a Homer Simpson with a slap to the forehead and loud, “DOH!”  But, hey, can’t be perfect all the time.  This is, after all, the Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen.

Beef Short Ribs Ingredients:

3 to 4 Beef Short Ribs
Kosher Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Carrot Stick, chopped
1 Cellery Stick, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Sprig Taragon, chopped
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Red Wine
1/2 cup Brandy
2 cups Beef Broth

Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Be sure to follow the instructions in the Beef Short Ribs video Tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy this recipe is to make.

Breakfast Egg Gravy with Bacon

Egg GravyEgg Gravy Family Recipe!

Here’s a recipe that has been in my family for years, and we call it Egg Gravy.  As you may or may not have guessed, it is a Breakfast gravy we traditionally serve over hand torn pieces of toast instead of biscuits.  I’ve changed the recipe a little bit over the years but in my opinion, I’ve stepped in up a bit and made it even better; more of a restaurant quality.  It’s very similar to the idea of a Sausage based Breakfast Gravy, but instead of using sausage, we use Bacon. with the added bonus of scrambled eggs; which is why this recipe is called, Egg Gravy.

IMG_0768The interesting factor is the traditional Egg Gravy recipe doesn’t have any meat in it at all.  Though I did mention that bacon is at the heart of my recipe, there isn’t any in the original.  However, bacon grease is used as a starter to make a Roux.  Then you just add milk and eggs and stir until it thickens, and voila, you have Egg Gravy.  My recipe however, does in fact use bacon.  You can even add sausage with it as well if you’d like or replace it altogether.  It doesn’t matter.  As long as you follow the basic fundamental rule when you are making gravy, and that is to stir, stir, stir and don’t burn the bottom of your gravy.  If that happens, it’s over.  The burnt flavor will spread like a contagion and ruin the entire Egg Gravy.  So take the time to babysit your Breakfast Gravy for a measly 10 minutes with a constant stir and praise shall be your everlasting reward!

Egg Gravy Ingredients:

!/4 pkg of Bacon
2 Chopped Green Onions
3 tbsp Flour
2 cups Milk
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste (Pepper is usually 1 tsp but the salt will depend on your tastes)

Slice your bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and chop the Green Onions into Scallions.  Over medium high heat cook the bacon thoroughly, then add the onions.  Separate the bulk from the bacon grease and add the flour to make a Roux.  Once it becomes thick and darkens a bit, add the milk a half cup at a time.  Bring the gravy to a light boil before you add each half cup and whisk the clumps of flour that thicken in the milk until the mixture becomes smooth.  Go back and forth like this until the milk is gone, then add the eggs.  Once you’ve stirred in the eggs and they are cooked add the cream and simmer until it thickens for the last time.  Serve Egg Gravy over Hand Torn Pieces of toast or your favorite biscuits.