GRAVIES.
Introductory Remarks—Gravy—To Draw—Rich Gravy for Roast Fowl—Cheap Veal Gravy—Gravy for Fowls—To keep—Without meat—Velouté—Thickening for Gravies.
GRAVIES are not often required either in great variety, or in abundant quantities, when only a moderate table is kept, and a clever cook will manage to supply, at a trifling cost, all that is generally needed for plain family dinners; while an unskilful or extravagant one will render them sources of an bounded expense.* But however small the proportions in which they are made, their quality should be particularly at tended to, and they should be well adapted in flavor to the dishes they are to accompany. For some, a high degree of savor is desirable; but for fricassees, and other preparations of delicate white meats, this should be avoided, and a soft, smooth sauce of refined flavor should be used in preference to any of more piquant relish.
Gravy may be made quite as good of the skirts of beef, kidney, or milt, or of the liver of a fat ox, as of any other kind of meat, if cut in pieces, fried with onions, and seasoned with herbs and spices, as other gravies. A clever servant will contrive to supply at a trifling expense, as much gravy as is wanted for the use of a small family by stewing down the trimmings of meat and bones. It may even be made of the shank-bones of legs and shoulders of mutton: they should be thrown into water, and, after a good soaking and brushing, be long boiled. The water in which they are done will add greatly to the richness of gravy, as does the jelly of cow-heels. The latter must lie all night in water, which causes the jelly to be of a good color. When boiled three hours, and become cold, let the fat be carefully taken off; and when apparently quite clear, lay some white paper upon it, rubbing it close with a spoon, which will remove every particle of grease, and it will be as pure as the jelly of a calf’s foot.
In preparing meat to stew for gravy, beat it with a mallet of rolling-pin, and score it across in various places, as this will make it give out its juices; season it with pepper and salt and put it into a stew-pan with butter only, heating it gradually until it becomes brown, but shaking the pan frequently to see that it does not burn or stick to the bottom. It will generally be browned sufficiently in half an hour. If kept in a very cool place and covered closely in a stone jar, it will keep good for 2 or 3 days in summer, and more than a week in winter, but should not be thickened until it is meant to be used.
To draw Gravy.—Cut gravy beef into small pieces, and put it, with some whole black pepper, into a jar, which tie over with a bladder; set the jar in a saucepan of cold water, and boil it gently for 6 or 7 hours, filling up the saucepan with hot water as the water boils away. The gravy thus made may be reduced and flavored for use.
A Pint of Rich Gravy for Roast Fowl.—Cut small 1 lb. of gravy beef, slice 2 onions, and put them in a stew-pan with a quart of water, some whole black pepper, a small carrot, and a bunch of sweet herbs; simmer till reduced to one pint; strain the gravy and pour it into another stew-pan, upon ¼ lb. of butter browned with 2 table-spoonsful of flour; stir and boil up.
Cheap Veal Gravy.—Put in a stew-pan the bones and trimmings of a knuckle of veal, a bit of lean bacon, lemon-peel sweet herbs, some whole black pepper, some salt, and a blade of mace. Cover with water, boil and skim; simmer about 3 hours, and strain.
Rich Gravy.—Slice 1 pound of lean beef and 2 large onions; flour and fry them only brown in a little butter; then put them into a stew-pan, pour half a pint of boiling water on the meat and onions; add a small bunch of sweet herbs, one blade of mace, a table-spoonful of whole black pepper and allspice, mixed, and a bit of lean bacon. Simmer for three hours; skim as soon as it boils, and frequently after—shaking it round, to prevent its burning. Strain, and take off the fat; and it will be ready to serve without thickening or browning, if properly made.
Slice beef and onions, flour them, and fry them a light brown, in very little butter; put them into a stew-pan with a bunch of sweet herbs, some whole pepper and allspice, three cloves, and two blades of mace; simmer till the meat is almost tasteless, skim carefully and strain. A dessert-spoonful of essence of anchovies or soy will be a great improvement.
When ham is wanted for gravy, cut the under part rather than the prime, and be careful in using salt.
Garlic or shalot vinegar, used with caution, say a few drops to a pint of gravy, is one of the finest flavors in cookery.
Gravy for Fowls without Meat.—Clean the feet and gizzard, and cut them and the neck into small pieces; put them into a sauce-pan with two small onions, a few sprigs of sweet herbs, a tea-spoonful of whole pepper, and some salt, and the liver, to which add a pint of water; simmer an hour; then mix the liver into paste with a little flour and butter; strain the gravy to it, stir well and boil up. A tea-spoonful of soy will enrich it and a little coloring may be added, as a knob of sugar burnt in an iron spoon.
Gravy, in a few minutes.—Put a table-spoonful of glaze, or portable soup, into half a pint of warm water, with an onion; boil five minutes, add salt and some coloring, and strain. This will serve for any roast poultry or game.
Gravy, to keep.—Lay in a stew-pan lean beef, cover it with water and let it stew gently; then add more water, a small slice of lean ham, sweet herbs, onion, and seasoning, and simmer till it is rich. Set it by to cool, but do not remove the fat till the gravy is wanted, as that serves to keep the fir from it.
Or, lay the meat in the pan, set it on the fire to draw out the gravy, and when that is done, add the water, &c., as above. Be careful not to let the meat burn.
The sediments of cold gravies should not be used.
Velouté.—Take 1 pound of veal, with the remains of a fowl and a dozen of full-grown mushrooms, or a smaller number of green truffles; heat these in melted butter, or beef fat, without browning; season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, or mixed spices, to which may be added a couple of carrots and onions, with a table-spoonful or two of flour. When boiled, skim off the fat, and let it simmer for one hour and a half, after which strain it, and keep it closely stopped for further use.
Essence of Ham, for improving the flavor of sauces, is also made in nearly the same manner—the meat being stripped from the bone, and put into a sauce-pan with the bone broken in small pieces, then stewed in a small quantity of water for several hours until the liquor becomes thick; after which it is strained, and again stewed with about the same quantity of very strong and well spiced veal-gravy. If carefully bottled and corked, it will remain good for a long time, and a spoonful or two will frequently be found a useful addition.
Thickening for Sauces and Gravies.—For white thickening, put four ounces of fresh butter into a stew-pan, over a clear fire; when it is melted, stir in gradually, with a wooden spoon, eight table-spoonsful of flour till quite smooth; then put it into an earthen pan, and tie over, to keep. It should not be darker than cream.
For brown thickening, only six table-spoonsful of flour should be used with four ounces of fresh butter; it should be made over a stronger fire, and gradually browned lightly. If it burn, or have dark specks, it will make sauce bitter.
The usual proportion of thickening for gravy is a table-spoonful to a quart.
* We know of an instance of a cook who stewed down two or three pounds of beef to make gravy for a single brace of partridges; and who complained of the meanness of her employers (who were by no means affluent) because this was objected to.