On 24 Nov 2006 05:37:42 +0200, Wayne Boatwright
<wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote:

>I've always made decent gravy, in fact most people would say excellent, but
>I wanted to try something different this year. The results were superior
>to anything I've made in the past. This is what I did...
>
>Since I only roast a turkey breast, I also bought a package of turkey
>wings. Yesterday I popped them into a roasting pan with a couple each of
>carrots, stalks of celery, a medium onion coarsely chopped (with the skin),
>and a couple of cloves of garlic. Tossed in a tablespoon or so of oil and
>a bit of salt. Roasted this mixture until everything was nicely browned.
>
>Removed roasting pan to the stovetop, added 4 cups chicken broth, a
>teaspoon of whole peppercorns, 5 whole allspice berries, a bay leaf, a
>handful of fresh parsley, and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. Brought
>this to a boil, then reduced to a simmer for about 45 minutes. Removed
>from the heat, then strained through doubled cheesecloth. Cooled and
>refrigerated overnight.
>
>This morning I removed the solidified fat and allowed the stock to warm to
>room temperature.
>
>Meanwhile, I browned 3/4 cup all-purpose flour in a dry pan in a 375° oven
>until it was golden tan, then set aside.
>
>When the turkey breast was done, I drained off the pan juices and browned
>bits and allowed the fat to rise to the top, then removing it. I mixed the
>two quantities of fat, then measured out about 1/2 cup.
>
>Measured out 2 cups of the pan juices, adding back the measured fat, then
>added 2 cups of the previously prepared stock. Brought this mixture to a
>slow boil.
>
>Meanwhile, put the remaining 2 cups of stock in the blender and added the
>browned flour. Whirled this together on lowest speed until completely
>smooth.
>
>Added the stock/flour mixture in a steady stream to the simmering pot while
>whisking constantly, then returned to a boil while whisking until it
>thickened. Reduced heat to a bare simmer and cooked, covered, for another
>half hour. Then put on the warming burner.
>
>This was the smoothest, most flavorful gravy I've ever tasted. It may
>sound like a lot of work, but it really wasn't, since the effort was spaced
>out.


Add a quarter cup (or so) of high quality strong coffee and you would
have gotten it perfect.