Ellyn
Guru
A roux is an oil with an emulsive, used as the basis and thickener for sauces.
How do you make your roux? Butter and flour? Animal fat and cornstarch? Vegetable oil and oat bran (I am joking about this last one, do not do this thing!)?
My mother, unfortunately, was not a good cook. She did have such fun, though, in Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving food is gloriously hearty all on its own so that even a mediocre cook could be commended for having made something great.
My only regret is that the gravy never turned out right. After basting the turkey, she'd take the drippings from underneath and fry up the giblets, then add flour to make a roux, and some canned mushrooms in the same liquid they were suspended in, and then more flour and water to make it stretch for a party, and then coffee to make it brown but it never became as brown as it should be. So we just added more coffee.
It would turn out like a coffee mushroom soup...which is not reallly a substitute for gravy! I could never help her in the kitchen during these times, though, because often when she was very focused on giant tasks like Thanksgiving dinner, she would also become very mean.
It was only the Thanksgiving after she passed away that I realized--making the dinner myself--that what was missing was the bag of blood that came with the giblets. The gravy thickened and darkened almost instantly! Coffee's a great secret ingredient, in more moderation than we'd used...but we'd missed the obvious ingredient all these years! But at least she got as far as making the roux which, as someone who made it to her 40's without so much as boiling an egg, should have some consolation prize.
A roux can also serve as the basis for cheese fondue, although I'm not sure if the same applies for chocolate fondue. The oil and flour make a great emulsifier for the white wine, after which, add the cheese. Leaving off the wine can still make a serviceable cheese dip or sauce for tacos, nachos, or macaroni and cheese.
How do you make your roux? Butter and flour? Animal fat and cornstarch? Vegetable oil and oat bran (I am joking about this last one, do not do this thing!)?
My mother, unfortunately, was not a good cook. She did have such fun, though, in Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving food is gloriously hearty all on its own so that even a mediocre cook could be commended for having made something great.
My only regret is that the gravy never turned out right. After basting the turkey, she'd take the drippings from underneath and fry up the giblets, then add flour to make a roux, and some canned mushrooms in the same liquid they were suspended in, and then more flour and water to make it stretch for a party, and then coffee to make it brown but it never became as brown as it should be. So we just added more coffee.
It would turn out like a coffee mushroom soup...which is not reallly a substitute for gravy! I could never help her in the kitchen during these times, though, because often when she was very focused on giant tasks like Thanksgiving dinner, she would also become very mean.
It was only the Thanksgiving after she passed away that I realized--making the dinner myself--that what was missing was the bag of blood that came with the giblets. The gravy thickened and darkened almost instantly! Coffee's a great secret ingredient, in more moderation than we'd used...but we'd missed the obvious ingredient all these years! But at least she got as far as making the roux which, as someone who made it to her 40's without so much as boiling an egg, should have some consolation prize.
A roux can also serve as the basis for cheese fondue, although I'm not sure if the same applies for chocolate fondue. The oil and flour make a great emulsifier for the white wine, after which, add the cheese. Leaving off the wine can still make a serviceable cheese dip or sauce for tacos, nachos, or macaroni and cheese.
