Monthly Archives: July 2013

REVISITING THE GRAVY TRAIN

Encore of my low fat gravy method post:

Several have asked me about my fat-free roux method for making gravy or sauce. Traditional roux is made from browning equal amounts of fat (typically butter) and flour. Although my gravy isn’t fat-free (I finish it with a Tbsp. of butter for flavor and gloss), mine is a lot lower in fat calories. I recently made a batch of this gravy to reheat leftover cooked turkey. The turkey flavored the gravy while the gravy gently warmed the turkey. That’s a win-win!

Start by preheating a quality, heavy-duty skillet. To make one cup of gravy, add two tablespoons flour to the dry skillet over medium heat. Whisk often to cook the flour. Season the flour as desired. When the flour turns light brown and emits an aroma indicating it’s cooked, remove the skillet from the heat.

Add flour to dry, preheated skillet

Add flour to dry, preheated skillet

Whisk flour often to keep it from burning.

Whisk flour often to keep it from burning.

Carefully add about a pint of broth or stock, whisking into the roux. Stand back as the hot skillet may steam from the cold liquid (as an additional step, preheat your broth or stock before adding it to the roux). After roux is incorporated into the liquid, return the skillet to medium heat. Whisk occasionally.

Remove from heat and whisk in broth or stock.

Remove from heat and whisk in broth or stock.

Continue to whisk over medium heat to blend together roux and broth.

Continue to whisk over medium heat to blend together roux and broth.

Allow the gravy to thicken and reduce, then lower the heat. If using the gravy to reheat cooked food such as leftover turkey, place the food in the gravy and let it cook gently until warmed.

Optional: Use gravy to gently reheat cooked meat or poultry.

Optional: Use gravy to gently reheat cooked meat or poultry.

To serve, remove all food from the gravy and plate for serving. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in one pat (approx. 1 Tbsp.) butter to finish the gravy. Pour into gravy bowl to serve.

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Filed under cooking, gravy, Healthful Eating, sauces, turkey

Daily Fruit

By now you know I’m a fan of the Vitamix. I use it at least once a day and consider it worth the investment (yes, it’s a bit expensive). I make whole fruit juice every morning to ensure we get our daily serving of fruit. To keep from getting in a rut, I vary the “recipe” or fruit combinations. I now have a new favorite: Cherry Pineapple. Yum!

Here’s how I make it. In the container of my Vitamix I add ¼ cup water, ¼ of a fresh pineapple (include the core), 2 prunes (for sweetness–you don’t taste them), and 10 frozen cherries. Process on Variable Speed from 1 to 10 then switch to High speed. It takes less than a minute and yields 1 eight-ounce glass or 2 four-ounce glasses of juice. Try it!Fruit Juice

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Filed under berries, fruit, Healthful Eating, Smoothies