The "hard" part comes from wine or sherry, added to the gravy mix. Chef Billy with Restaurant Associates came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about his incredibly flavorful "Hard" Apple Cider Gravy. Chef Billy starts with turkey stock, which you can make yourself or buy in stores, combined with some flour and water for thickening, and of course the apple cider and the wine, of which Billy recommends Madeira or Sherry. You don't so much wine, as Billy recommends "a splash." You don't want that ingredient overpowering the taste of the gravy. But this is a different take on the Thanksgiving classic, and something you should try if you'd like something new this year.
Reprinted from Epicurious
- 1 cup Sherry or madeira wine
- 1 cup apple cider
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups turkey giblet stock or chicken broth plus additional stock or broth for thinning gravy
- Garnish: assorted fresh sage sprigs
- Skim fat from pan juices, reserving 1/4 cup fat, and on top of stove deglaze pan with Sherry over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Stir in cider. Bring Sherry mixture to a boil and remove pan from heat.
- In a heavy saucepan whisk together reserved fat and flour and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add Sherry mixture and 2 cups stock or broth in a stream, whisking to prevent lumping, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in additional stock or broth to thin gravy if desired. Season gravy with salt and pepper and transfer to a heated gravy boat.
