Good Gravy! It’s so Easy! Everyone should make gravy when it’s this easy! I LOVE GRAVY!!! Any chance I can find to include it in a meal, you know you’re gonna find gravy served at my house. This time of year lots of people cringe at the thought of making gravy for the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. But you really don’t have to fear the gravy when you know a few simple tricks!
Lumps are the biggest fear and the easiest thing to avoid. When you know the rule of adding cold to hot or hot to cold you will never have this problem again. With gravy, you make sure the broth is very hot (near boiling) and then the flour or corn starch is mixed with cold broth. I use corn starch to make it gluten free but the same principle holds true when you use flour to thicken.
A good measuring rule of thumb is to use about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken a cup of sauce, or double that to 2 tablespoons per cup of sauce when using flour.
When you add the cool broth and thickener to the hot broth (which is about to become the gravy) and whisk away, you won’t get any lumps. Rule of thumb: Add cool or cold liquid to your thickener. Never add hot to hot is the key!
Let’s make gravy!
Easy Mushroom Gravy
Simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen most of the time turns into amazing gravy!
Melt butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and mushrooms and saute until they have caramelized to a golden brown color. Brown color = flavor every time!
While the mushrooms and shallots are cooking, mix the corn starch with a few tablespoons of the chicken broth and set aside. It should be a loose slurry (Love the fancy name for a runny paste)
Add the chicken broth to the mushroom mixture and bring to a strong simmer.
The starch won’t dissolve in the broth and will settle to the bottom of the bowl. Give it a quick stir to re-blend the starch with the broth before pouring it into the hot broth.
Slowly whisk in the corn starch mixture and keep whisking. The broth will thicken into gravy before your eyes!
Give the gravy a chance to come back to a simmer and thicken and see your results before you add any more corn starch. Add the Dijon mustard and whisk to combine. Mustard will act as a thickener too.
If you want your gravy really thick, then add a 1/2 teaspoon more corn starch to a bowl with a little cool or cold broth and stir to combine. Add this to the gravy while continuing to whisk. If it is too thick then, add a little more broth.
Let the gravy simmer for several minutes. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. You now have perfect mushroom gravy and you will every time you make it!
One of my favorite ways to enjoy mushroom gravy without the starchy carbs is over Cauliflower Rice! It is amazing how much the texture and taste is like rice. Who knows, it could be a new favorite for you too!
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6-8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 3 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 Cups Chicken broth
- 1 tablespooon dijon mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Melt butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and mushrooms and saute until they have caramelized to a golden brown color. Brown color = flavor every time!
- While the mushrooms and shallots are cooking, mix the corn starch with a few tablespoons of the chicken broth and set aside. It should be a loose slurry (Love the fancy name for a runny paste)
- Add the chicken broth to the mushroom mixture and bring to a strong simmer.
- The starch won't dissolve in the broth and will settle to the bottom of the bowl. Give it a quick stir to re-blend the starch with the broth before pouring it into the hot broth.
- Slowly whisk in the corn starch mixture and keep whisking. The broth will thicken into gravy before your eyes!
- Give the gravy a chance to come back to a simmer and thicken and see your results before you add any more corn starch. Add the Dijon mustard and whisk to combine. Mustard will act as a thickener too.
- If you want your gravy really thick, then add a 1/2 teaspoon more corn starch to a bowl with a little cool or cold broth and stir to combine. Add this to the gravy while continuing to whisk. If it is too thick then, add a little more broth.
- Let the gravy simmer for several minutes. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. You now have perfect mushroom gravy and you will every time you make it!
