Gravy

“ VERY few cooks know how to make good gravy, and fewer still even go to the trouble of making any, but a greasy thick mixture with water and flour in the baking pan, after the joint has been removed on to the dish. With every joint sent to the table, a small tureen of nice rich gravy should be served, and to make it properly you require a little extra meat, or the pieces cut off when the joint is trimmed will do. If possible, a piece of shin of beef is the very best for the purpose. ”

“ The gravy must be strained before serving. The kidneys may be removed, cut into thin slices, arranged around the roast with the pieces overlapping each other like scales.
Remarks: The gravy may be prepared in various ways. Instead of cream take 1⁄4 cup of Madeira or red wine and cut truffles into thin slices and put into the gravy.
Another way is to take cream' and champignons and lemon juice.
The left-over roast may be utilized for ragout, gulash, fricassee, meat dumplings or in a pudding made of roast and potatoes. The bones are split and used to make bouillon. ”

“ As the gravy begins to come out add more warm water a little at a time till you have as much stock as you require. Many people, when making stock or beef tea, spoil it through putting it over a hot fire, and letting it boil into the meat instead of out of it. The outside of the meat becomes hard, and so the goodness or gravy cannot escape from it, but remains in the centre. ”

“ To thicken the gravy you have taken out, put an ounce and a half of butter into a clean stew-pan; when it is melted, stir in as much flour as it will take; add the gravy by degrees; season it with salt; let it boil ten minutes; skim it well, and season it with two table-spoonfuls of white wine, one of mushroom catchup, and same of lemon-juice; give it a boil up, and it is ready: now put the veal into a ragoût dish, and strain the gravy through a fine sieve to it. Or,
By keeping the meat whole, you will better preserve the succulence of it. ”

“ The other and more usual method of making gravy, is to pour away all the fat from the pan as soon as the joint is cooked; and then pour into the pan a sufficient quantity of hot water, scraping well the brown glaze from the bottom; colour carefully with caramel, or burnt sugar, and pour it round the joint, not over it. Pouring the gravy over the meat destroys its crispness.
On no account make gravy from stock; stock is quite unsuitable, as the vegetable flavour is, to many persons, disagreeable.
RULES FOR FRYING. French or Wet Frying. ”

“ Have ready some nice gravy of roast beef, veal, or fresh pork, that has been left from the preceding day, and well skimmed. Care should every day be taken to save whatever gravy is left of roast meat, skimming off all the fat from the surface, and putting away the gravy in a covered vessel set in a cool place. The gravy of cold mutton or lamb is so like tallow that it is unfit to use in any sort of cookery, and should always be consigned to the crock of soap-fat. ”

“ In this method of cooking, the gravy stays in the meat, and that is what renders it so delicious, so juicy, so full of flavour. The meat which is dry and flavourless in proportion as its rich juices have been extracted, is the meat which yields most gravy. Therefore, paper-bagged joints yield very little gravy, and to add any water to the few spoonfuls of rich, strong gravy they do yield would be to spoil the flavour utterly. ”

“ A gravy in more frequent use is exceedingly simple. When a leg of mutton is roasted, the person miscalled a cook pours a teacupful of water over the joint, and the gravy is complete. Vegetables are only required to retain as much as possible of the fetid water in which they are boiled, and to be sunk as deep in melted butter as a river bound collier is in the sea, and they are considered “a dainty dish to set before a king.” ”

“ The hash of tongue, lung and heart is placed in the middle of a hot platter, the liver slices placed in a wreath around it, the meat from the head, which has been cut into neat pieces, and the brains placed on top of the hash.
The gravy should be prepared before dishing out the hash. For the gravy, take one tablespoonful of flour, stir it in the butter in which the meat, brains and liver have been fried, add some of the bouillon and a little vinegar, lemon juice or white wine. Serve the gravy with the meat. ”

“ I am dipping up spoonfuls of brown gravy and pouring them over the surface of the roast in approved basting style, when there is a rush, a scramble, and two hard bodies precipitate themselves upon my legs so suddenly that for a moment my head pitches forward into the oven. ”

“ Cover the meat with good beef broth, or weak gravy. Simmer as gently as possible for several hours, till quite tender. Clear off the fat, and add to the gravy half a pint of port wine, a glass of vinegar, and a large spoonful of catsup; simmer half an hour, and serve in a deep dish.
Garnish with carrots, turnips, or truffles, and morels, or pickles of different colours cut small, and laid in little heaps separate, chopped parsley, chives, beetroot, &c. If when done the gravy be too much to fill the dish, take only a part to season for serving: the less wafer the better ”

“ Skim the gravy, put in a few pickled mushrooms, truffles, morels, and oysters if agreeable, but it is very good without. Thicken the gravy with flour and butter, heat it with the above, and pour it over the beef. Forcemeat balls of veal, anchovies, bacon, suet, herbs, spice, bread, and eggs to bind, are a great improvement. A rump of beef is excellent roasted; but in the country it is generally sold whole with the edge-bone, or cut across instead of lengthways as in London, where one piece is for boiling, and the rump for stewing or roasting. ”

“ No Cook can support the credit of her kitchen without having plenty of gravy, cullis, and stock always at hand, as these are the bases of all soups and high-seasoned dishes.
Sauces and Gravies.
These are simple, and easily made.
GRAVY FOR ROAST MEAT.
Almost every joint will afford trimmings enough to make plain gravy for itself, which may be heightened with a little browning. ”

“ Make a gravy of this liquor, in a silver dish (with a spirit lamp beneath) , added to a small pat of butter, the juice of a lemon, a tablespoonful of Worcester sauce, with cayenne and salt to taste, and half a wine-glassful of port wine. Warm the meat through in this gravy, which must not boil.
Of course these two last-named dishes are only intended for bachelor-parties. Lovely woman must not be kept waiting for “duck-squeezers” or anything else. ”

“ It is for gravy. You see it is a rich deep brown colour, gained from the browned onion. We must strain this gravy, put a little salt with it, let it boil, then unhook the joint, pour a couple of table-spoonfuls of this gravy into the dish, put the rest into a gravy tureen, and serve at once. There will be plenty of gravy altogether, if we use that which is in the tureen and the dish as well. Besides, our joint has been well basted, and is not dry, so gravy will run from the meat into the dish. ”

“ A conscientious cook, who knows the value of Flavor and of real gravy, will nevertheless look after the basting personally.
The value of gravy is far too little understood. Nothing is more appetizing in association with a good plain roast than the gravy made from its fat and some of its juices. In starting a roast it is of prime importance to expose the meat at once to a very high temperature so as to sear the surface and (as already stated) keep the juice in the meat. ”

“ BROWN GRAVY Brown gravy can be made from any kind of stock. If the stock is good, put it into a saucepan and thicken every pint with 1 oz of flour. If the stock is not very good, boil some vegetables in it with any trimmings of meat and poultry available, and thicken with butter and flour; a few drops of lemon juice will bring up the flavour. It should be of a rich brown colour. It can be coloured with a little sugar burnt in a spoon, or with a few drops of caramel, a recipe for which will be found elsewhere. ”

“ Meat when put down to roast, should have about a pint of water in the dripping pan. If you like your gravy very rich, skim off the top of the drippings to your meat, and use them, if you like it plain, stir up the drippings, strain them and put in a skillet and boil them. Mix a tea spoonful of flour, with a little cold water, and stir it into the gravy. Lamb and veal require a little butter in the gravy. ”

“ Save the liver and heart to assist in the gravy, which ought to be made of some pieces of the lean of good fresh beef, seasoned with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, stewed in a small sauce-pan, till all the essence is extracted, adding the chopped liver and heart, and a bit of fresh butter, rolled in flour. Cold fresh meat, or meat that has to be recooked, is unfit for gravy, and so it is for soup. ”

“ White gravy is made as already directed for fish. For brown gravy, a little flour is heated in a frying-pan, and stirred till it is brown. It can be kept in a bottle, and is added in small quantities to thicken the juice of meat or soups.{297}
Tough Meat.
Scalding vinegar may be poured over tough meat, which is left to stand over night; next day the meat is to be cut into small pieces and stewed with seasoning, and a few slices of potatoe and carrot. ”

“ Browned flour for thickening; pepper and salt for seasoning.
1 glass brown sherry.
Cut the meat of the calf’s head evenly into slices of uniform size. Heat the gravy almost to a boil, with the seasoning, herbs and onion. Put in the meat, simmer, closely covered, for fifteen minutes; add the force-meat balls, wine and the eggs sliced. Let all become smoking hot; take up the meat; pile neatly on a hot dish, lay the eggs on it; the force-meat balls at the base of the heap, and pour a cupful of gravy over all, sending up the rest in a boat. ”

“ By the time it returns from the oven, have ready a gravy if knuckle of veal, or a bit of the scrag, with some shank-bones of mutton, seasoned with herbs, onion, mace, and white pepper. If it is to be eaten hot you may add truffles, morels, mushrooms, &c. but not if to be eaten cold. If it is made in a dish, put as much gravy as will fill it; but in raised crust, the gravy must be nicely strained, and then put in cold as jelly. ”

“ Cook exactly as you would beef: but if you wish a made gravy, pour it first from the baking-pan into a bowl and set in cold water five minutes, or until the fat has risen to the top.
Skim off all of this that you can remove without disturbing the dregs. It is “mutton-tallow”—very good for chapped hands, but not for human stomachs. Return the gravy to the fire, thicken, add boiling water, if needed, and stir until smooth. ”

“ Gravy should be cooked thoroughly to avoid any raw or starchy taste, too common to American gravies.
Season carefully, according to the meats gravy is to be served with. It is wise to taste before serving.
The distinctive touch French chefs are noted for in their meat and fish dishes is often due to the sauce accompanying them. Any careful American cook can acquire the same reputation for skill by following the suggestions to cook thoroughly and season distinctively.
FOUNDATION RECIPE FOR CREAM SAUCES FOR MEATS, FISH AND VEGETABLES
Method of Preparation—Melt fat, add flour, stir until smooth. ”

“ Soak all night. Next day, put on in cold water, at the back of the range, and cook tender. When you turn your beef, after an hour’s cooking, dip out half a cupful of the gravy. Cool and skim it; add a little minced parsley and onion, and, when your beans are soft, pour off nearly all the water, and add this gravy. There should be just enough to keep them from getting dry. Simmer ten minutes, and dish without draining. ”

“ As, in general, evaporation cannot take place, but at the expence of the object to be condensed, [I] I made some gravy, in the proportion of two pounds of good meat and poultry to one litre. My gravy being made, and [45] strained and suffered to become cool, I put it in bottles. After having well corked, and tied the bottles and wrapped them in bags, I placed them in the boiler. I had taken out, when one quarter dressed, the best pieces of the beef and poultry. When these were grown cold, I put them in jars, and filled the jars with the same gravy. ”

“ When the muscular part of meat is gradually exposed to a very moderate heat, sufficient to brown the outer fibres, the gelatine, osmazome, and other animal juices of it, become disengaged, and separated in a liquid state, and constitute a fluid of a brown colour, possessing a highly savoury and grateful taste. Hence gravy is the soluble constituent or liquid part of meat, which, spontaneously, exudes from flesh, when gradually exposed to a continued heat sufficient to corrugate the animal fibre. ”

“ A large spoonful will generally be enough to thicken a quart of gravy.
Obs. This, in the French kitchen, is called roux. Be particularly attentive in making it; if it gets any burnt smell or taste, it will spoil every thing it is put into, see Obs. to No. 322. When cold, it should be thick enough to cut out with a knife, like a solid paste.
It is a very essential article in the kitchen, and is the basis of consistency in most made-dishes, soups, sauces, and ragoûts; if the gravies, &c. are too thin, add this thickening, more or less, according to the consistence you would wish them to have. ”

“ Melt in your frying-pan, over a quick fire, some beef-dripping, lard, or fresh butter, and when it boils lay your cutlets in it, and fry them thoroughly; turning them on both sides, and taking care that they do not burn. Place them in a covered dish near the fire, while you finish the gravy in the pan, by first skimming it, and then shaking in a little flour and stirring it round. Pour the gravy hot round the cutlets, and garnish with little bunches of curled parsley. ”