Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Readers: After turkey goes into the oven, place the neck, giblets and wing tips in a 4- to 6-quart saucepan. Add 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 large onion and 2 cloves garlic, all chopped. Cover by 2 inches with 1/2 bottle white wine (inexpensive sauvignon blanc, fume blanc or pinot grigio), 2-1/2 cups (20 ounces) canned chicken broth and water as needed. Simmer, partially covered, 2 to 3 hours. Broth will reduce. Keep solids covered with a little liquid.
Starting the Pan Gravy: For rich-tasting pan gravy, skip additions like Kitchen Bouquet or salt. Instead, put the turkey juices to work. Place the turkey on a platter, tent with foil and keep warm (it will be juicier for the rest). Skim fat from the pan juices. Set roasting pan over 2 high-heat burners. Start boiling down pan juices, scraping up any browned bits with a spatula. Gradually add the strained broth, a cup at a time. After 3 to 4 cups, continue boiling and stirring until you have 2 to 3 cups of rich, deep-flavored liquid.
No Lumps, Great Taste: As liquid simmers, take a tall glass and add to it 1 generous tablespoon of flour. Avoid lumps by using a fork to gradually beat in 1/2 to 2/3 cup cold water. Beat until there are no lumps. You've made a slurry.
Whisk it into the bubbling pan liquid. Keep simmering and whisking until the gravy is smooth and thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Taste. If you taste raw flour, simmer another minute. Season if necessary, pour into a sauceboat and serve. Leftover gravy reheats beautifully.
Happy Thanksgiving to all -- Lynne
Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's weekly national show for people who love to eat, and is the co-author of "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions." Ask questions and find Lynne, recipes and station listings at www.splendidtable.org. Join in on The Splendid Table's "Turkey Confidential" program, broadcast live on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on your public radio station, by calling 800-537-5252.
