Roux: The Secret to Great Gravy, Soups and Sauces

The secret to cream soups, sauces and gravy is knowing your way around a roux. During the early years of my marriage, I thought I made a pretty decent turkey gravy. I mixed a little flour with water, then thickened the drippings with the flour/water mixture to make my gravy. But, after managing two of our family restaurants for about ten years, I do gravy and sauces different. I do roux.

Roux is simply a mixture of flour and oil or fat, that has been blended, stirred, and cooked for up to eight minutes. For the fat or oil you can use butter, vegetable oil, or the fat drained from the juices of cooked meats.

In the restaurant we would mix up a batch of roux, and keep it in the refrigerator to be used to quickly assemble a sauce, soup or gravy.

I use roux most often when preparing turkey gravy. After the turkey is cooked in the oven, I drain off all the juice, and allow the oil to rise to the top, which is then removed from the juices. Since I now bake my turkey dressing outside the turkey (for safety and convenience), I take a few tablespoons of the turkey fat and pour it over the dish of dressing before baking. Although it may be adding fat to the recipe, it also gives the dressing extra flavor and a "cooked in the bird moistness".

The remainder of the fat is mixed with flour. The general rule of thumb, I use equal weight fat to equal weight flour. The two are stirred together in a heavy pan, over medium heat, for about eight minutes. I remove the roux from the heat, and then place the turkey juices (that were separated from the fat) in a pan, heat at a medium high temperature. To make my gravy I add a bit of the roux to the juices and stir. It is important to add just a spoonful of the roux at a time, so as not to over thicken the gravy.

You can keep your leftover roux for a few days in the refrigerator. It can be used to make gravy from canned broth.

I also use roux when making cheese sauce for my mac and cheese, or to use on vegetables. To make roux for cheese sauce, I start with a couple tablespoons of butter, and a couple tablespoons of flour. After mixing over a medium high heat, I cook for a few minutes, then add about a quarter cup of milk, still stirring. When it is about the consistency of a thin gravy, I add shredded cheese, and stir until melted. If it is too thick, thin with a little milk.

You can use this same technique when starting a cream soup, or other sauces. I wouldn't use roux on a regular basis, as it isn't great for your diet. But once in a while, a good roux can be just what the chef ordered.