5 hours Ago By [email protected] (Joe Hoeffner)
Gravy, of course, serves a valuable purpose on the Thanksgiving table. It's perfect for pouring over your turkey and mashed potatoes, and it's especially handy if your aunt overcooked her bird and you need some moisture to power through the napkin-like texture of the white meat. But honestly, it just completes the picture: you want that silky, picturesque sauce, with its deep rich color, cascading down your meal and onto your plate.
And sometimes, . Luckily for you, Russell Kook, executive chef of the Chicago restaurant, , has some handy tips on how to make sure your gravy is just the right shade of brown. You may know Russell Kook from his appearance on Season 8 of "Hell's Kitchen", where he finished as the runner-up to Nona Sivley.
He's done quite well for himself since then, having worked in restaurants like Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse and Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish House before opening the Bellevue. So listen to him when he tells you to roast your turkey bones. "Getting that perfect brown gravy color starts with roasting the bones and browning the ingredients," he tells us.
"Roast your turkey bones until they're deep golden brown, and don't rush your roux — it needs to reach a deep caramel color." The Maillard reaction is important for turkey gravy Roasting your turkey bones for gravy is a good idea regardless of the effect it has on its color, although it does indeed boost the color a great deal. When you brown food, whether you're searing pieces of beef for a stew or toasting a slice of bread, you're harnessing something called the Maillard reaction.
That's a chemical reaction that occurs between amino acids and sugars when subjected to heat, and it's responsible for the deep, roasty flavors of , a well-toasted marshmallow — or, indeed, a rich brown turkey stock. If you'd like an even deeper color, Kook suggests adding "soy sauce, a touch of molasses, or even caramelized onions" to the gravy. And if you have the roasting pan you cooked your turkey in handy, "those browned bits at the bottom of the roasting pan are liquid gold — deglaze them with some stock or wine and incorporate them into your gravy.
" That's a "yes, Chef" from us — now, ! Recommended.
