Last week I heard an interview with cooking guru Shirley Corriher. Corriher is a biochemist, and she combines McGee-like food chemistry knowledge with warm wisdom and kitchen experience. She often guest-stars on Alton Brown's Good Eats.
One of Corriher's tips, remembered from her mother's Thanksgiving cooking, was to thicken the gravy with stuffing mix instead of cornstarch or flour. She said that her mother did this and it produced the best gravy she has ever had. I looked around for a recipe or some advice on trying this but came up empty.
That gravy sounds so delicious!
My Mother-in-law recently (this week) decided that she no longer likes turkey, and therefore we will not be having turkey at her house tomorrow. I'm assuming there will be a ham instead, but as I so look forward to the turkey, my heart is broken. My husband and I will be bringing over some side dishes, but I wonder if it would be totally out of line to show up with a turkey as well. Just because she doesn't like turkey doesn't mean everybody else doesn't want it. I feel like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" after the neighbor's dogs devoured their turkey:
"The heavenly aroma still hung in the house. But it was gone, all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey A La King! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, all gone!"
mmm, i think it might be considered rude to show up with an alternative entree unless it was to accommodate an allergy or religious restriction.
although, if you have a good relationship with the m.i.l., call her and see what she thinks. i wouldn't just show up unannounced with it, though.
of course you could always roast a smaller bird on friday...
"if you have a good relationship with the m.i.l." Ha! Thanks Liz, you just answered my question :)
I am just going to suck it up and eat the ham or whatever else she serves and make a small bird for my husband and I to enjoy later.
I, for one, don't want my gravy to taste like the stuffing, especially the freeze-dried herb taste of commercial stuffing breads. I'm also in the never-use-cornstarch camp for gravy.
Secret of great gravy is to make a very flavorful stock. And, cook your roux well so you won't taste the flour.
we've been invited over by family for thankgiving, so i cant cook the turkey tomorrow,instead hubby and i are planning a more intimate meal with turkey this weekend!
I usually use flour to thicken my gravy but find I prefer the cornstarch. Once I ran out of both and someone suggested using instant mashed potatoes. It worked magic! I'd definately try the stuffing mix (I make my own so it wouldn't have the stuffing flavor as someone above commented) I make mine using plain crotons so it should work pretty good.