Perfect Gravy

Perfect Gravy

Making gravy is not difficult if you follow these easy steps.  My preference is to create a roux with cornstarch.  I also add heavy cream to my special gravy.  If you have chicken or turkey stock on hand, this will enrich your gravy.  Follow these easy steps.

Ingredients:

Pan drippings from turkey roaster (I do mine right in the roasting pan)

2 to 3 cups of chicken/turkey stock

Cornstarch roux (1 tbl. of cornstarch mixed with cold stock or water)

Salt & pepper

Heavy cream

After removing turkey from roasting pan, set roasting pan over large burner over low heat.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the bottom to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Add stock and stir slowly to incorporate everything.  Mix your roux using a fork in a measuring cup.  There should be no lumps at all.  Slowly add the cold mixture to your gravy and use your wooden spoon to blend everything together.  Add cream (eyeball it) and taste.  Should be creamy and delish

Brosseau Family Stuffing

BROSSEAU FAMILY STUFFING

As the story goes, this meat stuffing has been handed down generations in my mother's family as the go to stuffing with turkey.  It became so popular as our family grew that my mother had to triple the recipe to accommodate everyone.  It is simply five ingredients and quite easy to do.  The secret ingredient is Bell's Seasoning (you can buy it on Amazon).  

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of ground meat (1/2 beef and 1/2 pork)

2 Large onions, diced

2 bunches of celery with leaves

6 to 8 Yukon gold potatoes, cooked and cubed

Salt and Pepper

Bell's Seasoning

In a really large dutch oven, put butter and olive oil, and diced veggies.  Saute until translucent.  Salt and pepper, remove from pot but retain juices at bottom.  Brown ground meat slowly (salt and pepper added) and prepare potatoes at same time (to cut prep time in half, buy prepared potatoes).  Remove pan from heat when meat is browned.  Allow everything to cool at room temperature.  Mix veggies, meat and potatoes.  When the entire stuffing mixture is cool to cold, add the Bell's, sprinkling carefully and tasting as you sprinkle.  (The seasonings will intensify when you warm the stuffing back up.)  You want the mixture to taste mildly seasoned.  Add salt and pepper if necessary.  Place in a buttered Corningware dish.  Bake at 300F for about 30 minutes.  Serve hot.  

Easy Aspic

Easy Aspic

This is epic.  Three ingredients.

1/2 can of Beef Consomme

2 cold cups of Raspberry Jello

1 nip of Chambord

Blend in blender.  

Allow to chill a little before covering something.  Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Pâté

Pâté

Pâté is truly easy to make if you can find processed brunschweiger liver.  You can combine flavors, both savory and sweet, and incorporate whatever you like.  The only tools you need are a fork and mini food processor.  Be creative in mixing ingredients you and your family and friends enjoy.  Call it a house dip because many folks reject liver without a good reason.

Ingredients:

8 ounces of Oscar Mayer Brunschweiger Liver Sausage

8 ounces of whipped cream cheese

1 tbl. Of salted butter

10 garlic cloves

3 shallots

1 Nip of Chambord or fruit flavored alcohol

Add other ingredients to taste such as bacon; berries; mangoes, etc.

Mix all ingredients together and blend well.  Add the chopped other ingredients to taste.

If you feel ambitious, put the pâté in a mold sprayed with Pam before refrigeration.  After four hours, unmold onto a plate covered with plastic wrap.  Put back in fridge for an hour.  Cover with your favorite aspic recipe or fruit aspic.  Decorate with fresh berries after refrigerating overnight.