I usually do make a stock from the neck and a purchased turkey drumstick or thigh or both, and I was very glad I did this yesterday, otherwise we may have had a serious gravy drought. As a back up, I also purchased a container of gravy from Whitehouse Meats, knowing that we'd probably need some Monday or Tuesday for left-overs. Glad I did!
Now when I say "I" made the gravy yesterday, I am using that term loosely. T-Rex really did most of the work and is on his way to becoming an accomplished chef at the ripe old age of 9.5 years old. He made the roux yesterday, and certainly stirred off his pint-sized arm to make round 1 of the gravy from the stock I made on Saturday. Well done! I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had to add pre-made gravy to his masterpiece so that we had enough to feed our guests. He was so proud of himself and asked everyone if they liked HIS gravy and that the special ingredient he put in it was love. Such a cute kid. I think I will keep him.
Next time instead of (turkey) "winging" it, I'll be more prepared and follow this recipe from Epicurious that gets a consistent 4 forks. Their base stock is
very similar to the one I made; my mistake was not making enough.
Rich Turkey Gravy:
Roasting pan with pan juices from a roast turkey (about 14 lb)
Unsalted butter (less than 1 stick), melted, if turkey drippings yield less than 1/2 cup fat
About 9 cups hot brown turkey stock
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-quart glass measure (do not clean roasting pan), then skim off fat and reserve. (If using a fat separator, pour pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from separator into a 2-quart measure, and reserve fat left in separator.) If there is less than 1/2 cup reserved fat, add melted butter.
Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to total 8 cups liquid (2 quarts). Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 1 cup of remaining stock and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brwn bits, about 1 minute. Pour through fine-mesh sieve into glass measure with stock.
Whisk together reserved fat and flour in a 4-quart heavy saucepan and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 5 minutes. Add hot stock with pan juices in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking. Stir in any turkey juices accumulated on platter and simmer gravy 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rich-Turkey-Gravy-231006
6 lb turkey parts such as wings, drumsticks, or thighs
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium yellow onions, left unpeeled, then trimmedand halved
3 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 carrots, quartered
6 fresh parsley stems (without leaves)
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
5 qt cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
If using turkey wings, halve at joints with a cleaver or large knife, then crack wing bones in several places with back of cleaver or knife. (There is no need to crack bones if using drumsticks or thighs.)
Heat 1/4 cup oil in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot (see cooks' note, below) over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, pat turkey parts dry. Cook turkey in 4 batches, turning once, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to a large bowl. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot, then cook onions, cut sides down first, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes total, and transfer to bowl with turkey. Cook celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add browned turkey and onions and remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming froth as necessary. Reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, 3 hours.
Remove pot from heat and cool stock to room temperature, uncovered, about 1 hour. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. Measure stock: If there is more than 10 cups, boil in cleaned pot until reduced; if there is less, add water.
If using stock right away, let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. If not, cool stock completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold). If you are thickening your gravy with cornstarch, bring 1 cup stock to room temperature to liquefy. Reheat stock before making gravy .
Heat 1/4 cup oil in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot (see cooks' note, below) over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, pat turkey parts dry. Cook turkey in 4 batches, turning once, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to a large bowl. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot, then cook onions, cut sides down first, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes total, and transfer to bowl with turkey. Cook celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add browned turkey and onions and remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming froth as necessary. Reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, 3 hours.
Remove pot from heat and cool stock to room temperature, uncovered, about 1 hour. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. Measure stock: If there is more than 10 cups, boil in cleaned pot until reduced; if there is less, add water.
If using stock right away, let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. If not, cool stock completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold). If you are thickening your gravy with cornstarch, bring 1 cup stock to room temperature to liquefy. Reheat stock before making gravy .
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