Recipe: Silky Pan Gravy with Cream, Cognac & Thyme

Every Thursday on the Good Food Blog we share a recipe from our archives.

Fine Cooking magazine’s editor Susie Middleton shares ideas on how to plan a tasty and manageable Thanksgiving feast in her book How to Cook a Turkey. She recommends having plenty of refrigerator space for leftovers, choosing dishes that suit your appliances and making side dishes ahead of time. She first shared this recipe for Silky Pan Gravy with Cream, Cognac & Thyme on November 17, 2007.

Photo by Romulo Yanes

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Silky Pan Gravy with Cream, Cognac & Thyme

by Pamela Anderson from Fine Cooking

Yields about 3 cups

Drippings and vegetables from Dry-Brined Roasted Turkey

2 Tablespoons Cognac

1/2 cup dry vermouth

2-1/2 cups Rich Turkey Broth

2 tsp lightly chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Set the roasting pan with the turkey drippings and vegetables over two burners set on medium high. Add the Cognac, vermouth, and 1/2 cup of the turkey broth; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or wooden spatula to loosen the browned bits in the pan, until the liquid comes to a simmer. Strain the contents of the roasting pan through a large sieve and into a large saucepan. Add the remaining 2 cups turkey broth and the thyme to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and let simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the cream in a small bowl and whisk the flour into the cream to make a smooth paste. Gradually whisk the cream mixture into the turkey broth mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer to thicken the gravy and cook off the raw flour flavor, about 10 minutes. Keep hot until ready to serve.