Serving a moist, delicious crisp-skinned turkey is fantastic (and easy!), but an amazing gravy can elevate even a middle-of-the-road roast. Gravy is the ultimate Thanksgiving condiment, delicious not just on Turkey, but mashed potatoes, stuffing, and just about everything else.
We’ve been fine-tuning this gravy recipe for years, and we can honestly say that it’s top tier. In fact, a friend of ours commented “I want to sit on my couch in the dark and drink a full gallon of this gravy.” Unprompted, I might add. We won’t embarrass him by telling you his name, but he knows who he is.
It’s rich, silky, and packed with real turkey flavor. It also has a touch of sweetness from apple cider, which balances the deeply savory, umami flavor. The apple brandy adds a touch of elegance, and white wine brightens it up.
Note: if you don’t want to use alcohol in your gravy, don’t worry. We’ll recommend some substitutions that will ensure your booze-free version is just as good.
Now that you know this is the best tasting gravy ever, I can tell you the even better news. It can be made days and even weeks ahead of time, taking 99% of the stress out of the process. Gone are the days of whisking flour into a scorching hot roasting pan, while your guests bang their forks and knives on the table demanding service (what, your family doesn’t do this?).
The method for the best make-ahead gravy
It all starts with a homemade turkey stock. This can be done way ahead of time and frozen, so as soon as we can find turkey parts, we get it out of the way. A good, rich stock is the key to great tasting gravy, but it’s useful for so much else. It really makes such a difference. If you can’t make your own. try to find a good, store-bought low-sodium turkey or chicken stock instead.
The next step is to make what we call the “gravy base”. This too can be done ahead and refrigerated or frozen. The process is super simple. We cook some onions in butter, until they turn sweet and golden brown. We add flour to make roux, and once that cooks a little, in goes the booze (apple brandy and white wine). We got this idea from the master, Ina Garten, who makes a gravy with Calvados. Calvados is an apple brandy produced in the Normandy region of France. It’s delicious and expensive. Way too rich for our blood. Instead, we use Apple Jack, which is an American brandy (and much more affordable). It adds a lovely depth of apple flavor. And then, dry white wine adds a little brightness and acidity.
**To make a non-alcoholic version, add extra apple cider in place of the brandy. In place of the white wine, add a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. The lemon and vinegar are much more acidic than wine, so add a little at a time, a scant teaspoon or so, and taste. It should just taste a little lively, but not sour.
Cook the alcohol for a minute or so, but don’t worry about getting the harshness out now, it will keep cooking later. Then add turkey stock a cup at a time, stirring or whisking in each addition until smooth, before adding the next cup. Once about 4 cups are in, you can pour in the rest all at once. Then add the apple cider for sweetness, dark soy sauce for its rich color, Worcestershire sauce and MSG (if using) for umami. If a darker color is desired, add few drops more dark soy (up to another teaspoon). Keep in mind the color will get a little darker, and flavor will be richer once the deglazed turkey drippings are added at the very end.
Let it simmer, uncovered, stirring and scraping bottom of the pot occasionally, until its fully thickened. It should be slightly thicker than your usual gravy would be. If you want a silky smooth gravy, use an immersion blender (or transfer to a countertop blender) and blend the onions and any lumps of flour in.
Tip: if you want a thicker gravy (this works for any flour-based sauce), you can use a beurre manié (which translates to”kneaded butter”). It’s basically a paste of equal parts raw flour and softened butter, which is used to thicken soups, sauces, and stews at the end of cooking. It’s a great way to adjust the thickness of the gravy, if it’s thinner than you want. Simply whisk small dollops of the paste into the hot gravy, where it will thicken and keep the smooth, velvety finish without lumps.
Taste it for seasoning, but don’t add too much salt now, in case the turkey drippings are very salty. Let it cool to room temperature, and then you can refrigerate it up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 weeks.
Finish the gravy on the feast day
So now it’s Thanksgiving Day (or Christmas, or whatever feast day). If you froze it, allow it to defrost in the fridge a day or two ahead.
Add the cold gravy base to a heavy bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven, and let it slowly come up to a simmer over low heat. You can do this when the turkey is almost ready, though I like to let it simmer on low for about an hour. It get’s even silkier the longer it cooks, but stir and scrape the bottom of the pot once in a while, so it doesn’t burn and be careful of over-reducing.
Once the turkey is roasted, tip it to make sure all the juices are in the roasting pan, then scrape all the brown bits from the roasting pan. If the roasting pan is dry, add a little extra wine, water or stock and scrape until drippings are pourable. Strain the liquid into a fat separator (or allow it to sit and spoon off as much turkey fat as you can). Add the de-fatted drippings to gravy. Now is the time to taste the gravy for seasoning and add any more salt and pepper, to your taste.
And that’s it. So much easier, right? I hope you like it as much as our guests do.
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy with Apple Brandy
Equipment
- Immersion or countertop blender optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion 2 medium onions
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1/3 cup apple brandy like Apple Jack or Calvados
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Kosher salt amount will depend how salty your stock is
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups home-made turkey stock or use a good store-bought chicken stock
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon MSG optional
Optional Beurre manié
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup AP flour
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, a 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned. Don’t rush this step, it adds a lot of flavor when the onions are well-cooked.
- Add the flour into the pot, and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the brandy and wine, stir until they’re fully absorbed by the flour. Then add turkey stock a cup at a time, stirring or whisking each addition until smooth, before adding the next cup. Once about 4 cups are in, you can pour in the last 4 all at once. Once smooth, add the cider, 1 teaspoon soy, Worcestershire sauce and MSG (if using). If a darker color is desired, add few drops more dark soy (up to another teaspoon). Keep in mind the color will get a little darker, and flavor will be richer once the deglazed turkey drippings are added at the very end.
- Cook uncovered, stirring and scraping bottom of the pot occasionally, until thickened. It should be slightly thicker than your usual gravy would be. If you want a smooth gravy, use an immersion blender to blend the onions in. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 weeks.
- If frozen, defrost in the fridge a day or two ahead. When ready to use, heat on a very low stove for as long as you can, stirring occasionally. We like to cook it for an hour or two so it gets really silky but this step is totally optional. You could just heat it until it’s hot.
- When your turkey is done, scrape all the brown bits from the roasting pan. If roasting pan is dry, add a little extra wine, water or stock and scrape until drippings are pourable. Strain into a fat separator (or allow to sit and spoon off as much turkey fat as you can). Add the de-fatted drippings to gravy. Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Optional beurre manié:
- If gravy is thinner than you would like after adding drippings, thicken with beurre manié. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup softened butter with a 1/4 cup flour until a smooth paste is formed. While gravy is simmering, add beurre manié mixture a little at a time, stirring in each addition until gravy as at desired thickness. Allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes before serving.
game-changing gravy. soooo good. nice work!
Thanks so much David! Really glad you liked it.
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