Oh Good Gravy

I was somewhere on the net today and I truly do not remember which blog owner it was that couldn't spell roux. I'm not trying to put them down, but it was not spelled anywhere near how it is supposed to be. I hope they drop by and see this. Making a roux is fun and it is pronounced ru...like roo. It is a miracle stuff that makes food and gravy wonderful.

It is equal portions of butter and flour.
A blonde roux is very light in color and a dark roux is very dark and sometimes I just get tired of stirring to get it to be just right.

When I make breakfast gravy it is a white roux...just flour and butter cooked until it is thick and then add the milk slowly while stirring. Sometimes we add some sausage to the gravy and yum.

I make a medium roux when the roast beef is done and moved to a cutting board to rest. Then I deglaze the pan by putting some canned broth or even water to where the juices have cooked down and left the brown bits from cooking the roast. I mix the butter and flour in with the dark part. Those bits are very much the tastiest stuff ever. The gravy for a roast does not have cream gravy like the morning gravy. It is darker and if you have some demi glace...or this recipe from Saveur, well, you're ready for a heavenly experience. I buy it at Central Market, because I just don't have the time to make it from scratch. Plus I don't get to eat meat enough to merit all that work...plus I just love going to Central Market. There are so many unusal things there.

Just remember when you are making a roux to cook the flour/butter mixture to get the raw flour taste out of the sauce...whether it is a blond roux, a medium roux, or a dark roux. I've seen jars of rouxs in the grocery store, but have an aversion to even trying the product. It just doesn't seem right for some reason...that being it looks like axle grease and would probably be a waste of money.

There is another little trick I learned from Martha Stewart's show last year around Thanksgiving. You mix equal parts of butter and flour, that I thought she called buerre blanc, but apparently I'm mistaken. But it makes the BEST gravy ever. Butter at room temperature is mixed by hand with an equal part flour. It can be dropped by little balls into the gravy to thicken and it makes it so rich. I was a little goofy from working on it for a while. My daughter's mil and sister were watching me make and taste over and over and asked how it was. I just could only tell them it was good gravy. That got a biggo laugh. It has about 20 million calories in it, but it is worth it. I may not have told ya'll that I truly love good gravy.

Here is a sensible link if you want to make great gravy.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/sidedishrecipes/r/pansauces.htm

I found that link when I couldn't remember the word "fond" to dazzle you with my "culinary skills". My daughters and son are wonderful cooks. This year I may sit back and watch them make great food. We are still having that brined pork roast for Christmas Day. and my wonderful husband got us a ham so we can have sandwiches and ham for breakfast.

I'm starting to feel like it is going to be a Tuesday to remember tomorrow. The side effects of the Methotrexate have already begun. Sometimes it doesn't bother me nearly at all and other times..it is hang on to your hat. This is going to be one of those day. Maybe we are caught up enough I can take a day off and rest, sip 7-Up and eat little dry crackers....starting right now.