The Best Gravy Ideas: Preparation and Serving

Why is this antique dealer talking about gravy?!  well someone has to especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. I want to prepare you with warm cosy post and share with you not just helpful info on preparing and making gravy but also the best way to serving ideas. I have always had an issue with 'traditional' antique gravy boats and here I will inspire you with a better alternative to the ones you are used to seeing.

The Traditional Boat

• Always too small, you have to go back to the pan and refill it after serving greedy James. 
• Traditional boats are short and wide, why?! just makes them awkward to hold and to balance
• They cause a mess dripping down the sides
• Traditional boats are left wide open at the top so gravy can get cold quickly.

The Unconventional Gravy Boat

Left: The Urban Vintage Affair - The Punk Tamara Spirt Kettle
Middle: The Urban Vintage Affair - The Punk James, Push Pour Teapot  
Right:  The Urban Vintage Affair - Master Michael Trophy Dish 

Try an antique or vintage teapot for your gravy, unconventional but seriously makes more sense.

• They are much larger and so you can fill the whole pot of gravy in one go.
• Teapots are formed for heavy weight liquid and much easier to control your pouring than with a traditional gravy boat.
• They are taller in the body with a small opening so you gravy will not drip down the sides.
• Teapots have a lid and won’t allow your gravy to get cold quickly.
• Also you can keep your gravy extra hot by pre warming your teapot. The silver Teapots will keep your gravy warmer for longer
• The spout perforations stop any lumpy bits hitting your dinner
• Better still upgrade to an antique teapot with a stand and burner to keep the gravy simmering. Much more impressive and useful feature on the dining table.

And this my dear readers is the reason I don't sell traditional antique gravy boats, I personally think they would serve better as decorative planters. So hands up if you agree to consider using a teapot for your gravy this year!

#LookAtAntiquesDifferently 

Recipes

Now for some gravy recipes wherever you like it to make it quick or like it to make it slow, i'm sure you will relate to one of these tasty gravy recipes as the are the beast gravy ideas about.

My gravy always include root ginger, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and English mustard. I do cheat and thicken it with bistro gravy granules but it tastes divine. Ally Wilson 

I cook a chicken with a lemon and onion stuffed inside and sprinkled with salt pepper and thyme. When chicken ready I deglaze the roasting pan with leftover water from par boiled potatoes. I strain the liquid into a candle pan and add any steamed veg water, a drop of white wine or vermouth and a sprinkling of gravy granules. Simmer for 10 minutes and add any juices that appear from the resting chicken, you can also squeeze bit of juice out of the lemon or add the onion for a bit and then strain again. It should thicken up if not add a teaspoon of flour/water slurry. Keep warn until ready to serve. Anne Marie Lambert

Apologies to vegans in advance. It’s all about adding bones (or gizzards) and wine. Ask the butcher for any left over bits with bone marrow in. I add a little chicken stock to beef gravy and a little beef stock to chicken gravy. And No flour! Just a little cream last minute. Lucy - Midcentury Modern 

Your first step in making this delicious, and many would say unforgettable, vegan gravy will be to break out a pan and melt 1/4 cup of vegan butter into it.  Once your butter is melted you will add 1 1/2 chopped shallots or onions and cook this all down until it is completely emulsified with the butter. Cook your shallots, or onions, down for about 10 minutes adding butter as needed to make sure your onion product does not dry out.

Once you have your onions looking nice and soft add your vegetable broth right to the pan. Increase your cooking heat to medium high and get this mixture boiling. You will let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes and then add a cup of cooking wine to the pan. At this point your mixture will be reduced and you are going to keep adding butter as seen in the video until you have added an entire 1/2 cup of vegan butter to your pan altogether. I suggest adding it a tea spoon at a time.

By the time you get all your butter added your gravy is going to be reaching near perfection, but will still be too thin. There is a fine line you have to walk when making gravy, you don’t want it to be too thick and you certainly don’t want it to be too thin. In a small bowl mix together corn starch and cold water and add it in a bit at a time as you whisk your reduced gravy mixture. Keep in mind your gravy mixture should still be boiling as you do this. Add in roughly half of your corn starch and water concoction then wait and see if your gravy thickens up to the point where you are really satisfied with the consistency. If you aren’t seeing the results you want then slowly add in the other half, continuing to whisk of course.

As soon as your gravy reaches the point where you are happy with it you can serve it. It is however recommended to let it cool for just a bit as it has been boiling for quite some time now. Enjoy! Vegan ReCIPE Browser

Simply Traditional
For approx 500ml, slice a medium onion. fry until softened in rapeseed oil.
Add 1 table spoon plain flour and dash of water. Mix to a paste. 
Add EITHER 500ml fresh chicken/ beef stock or 1 Knorr stock pot and 500ml water.
Stir thoroughly and bring to boil. Simmer and reduce by about one third.
If available, add meat juices after skimming fat. Add pepper before serving, no salt needed.
Optional; If gravy is too thin, mix a knob of butter with plain flour and stir into simmering gravy
- Add a dash of gravy browning to create rich brown colour
- Add a dash of single cream to make rich and smooth 
James Deayton - JSDDesigns

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
• 1 cup of turkey drippings from roasted turkey
• 1 cup of turkey stock in a box
• 6 medium size button mushrooms
• 2 tbsp butter 

1. In a cast iron skillet, over medium heat, brown the flour. To do this, place flour in skillet, spread the flour to an even layer over the bottom of the pan and let set as the pan heats up.  With a wire whisk stir the flour constantly. The goal is to brown the flour but not to burn it.  The deeper the brown colour the darker the gravy and a more nutty flavour.

2. While continuing to whisk, add in turkey drippings (if you have more then one cup add up to 2 cups of drippings)

3. Add more stock in a box to get desired consistency of gravy.

4. Now time to add the mushrooms. First wipe mushrooms with a dry cloth to remove dirt, then thinly slice.

5. Melt butter in small fry pan and add sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are brown and a bit crisp.

6. Stir into finished gravy.

If you are making a gravy but don't have drippings just add total amount of liquid from stock in a box. Amy Wellness Wise

Scoop Up The Bits

Present your preferred gravy vessel with an impressive spoon If you like bits in your gravy onions peppers mushrooms etc..