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Gravy is probably the most important part of a Christmas turkey dinner, and yet every year, so many of us struggle with this particular sauce. Some of us have gravy recipes that are handed down through the family, but we can always improve. Learn from the masters here with some of the best in the business, sharing with us their secrets for the ultimate Christmas gravy.
Your gravy starts with the pan dripping from your roast turkey, which is full of the delicious fat that gives the gravy recipe its intense flavour. It is the perfect addition to mashed potatoes and it is so important to pull all the different elements of your Christmas dinner together.
There are many different ways to get the perfect gravy, but in general most call for a simmering of meat juices in a saucepan over medium heat, with 1/2 cup of acid like wine or sherry. Slowly add chicken stock with a measuring cup, add butter or olive oil, and plain flour or a gluten-free option if you want to thicken it. Have a look below to see how to get Michelin-star gravy.
The most amazing gravy | Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay does his Christmas gravy with apple cider and walnuts for a “walnutty apple-y flavour”. First, drain the excess fat from the roasting tray and then put it back on the heat. Remove the bacon from the back of the turkey and the roasted onions and lemon from the cavity. The bacon is chopped and goes in the roasting tray, along with the chopped roast onions and chopped lemon and rosemary. Three chopped tomatoes help thicken the gravy and give it a fresh taste. Removing the wings and trimmings from the bird, they go in too. Then, after adding dry cider to the pan, everything is fried off. Add the resting juices form the turkey and mash the whole lot once reduced by half. Then add chicken stock. Pass the gravy through a sieve and leave a sprig of rosemary to infuse. Ladle the gravy into a gravy boat on top of crushed walnuts - and viola.
Roast turkey, gravy, and stuffing | Jacques Pépin Cooking At Home
A classic French approach from Jacques Pépin who cooks off the giblets for an hour and a half, then puts onion and carrot in a pot, adding the cooked liver and chopped gizzard. Add potato starch to thicken. A dash of white wine goes in the bottom of the pan when the turkey is cooked, and after deglazing it’s added the sauce.
Fail-safe gravy for Christmas dinner | Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver shows us a fail-safe gravy method that can be adapted to whatever kind of meat you’re cooking. For Christmas gravy, he adds a couple of teaspoons of jam and some rosé port. It’s a very simple way to extract maximum flavour from your pan drippings and turn it into that thick delicious gravy everyone wants at Christmas lunch.
Roast turkey and gravy by Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White shows us all we need for a roast turkey with gravy. The chef starts by removing the excess fat from the roasting juices. It's a very simple recipe using the water from the carrots for a classic basic gravy.
Tom Kerridge's Christmas dinner: roast turkey & gravy
Tom Kerridge starts with the roasting pan again, adding butter and honey for sweetness, and a splash of soy sauce. Flour is added to thicken and then chicken stock, which is cooked down. He finishes the gravy with salt and vinegar for acidity and balance. Finally it is passed through a sieve into a pan or jug.
