help...gravy is pale as pale can be

[minnietheminx007]

Hi, i just made thr jamie oliver cook in advance gravy where you roast up chicken wings, onion, carrot and celery and its as pale as anything...why is this and what can i do to rescue it?

you could add some chicken stock /chicken gravy granules, some paprika, something like that? even if it's pale, does it taste nice? gravy does not have to be dark brown

One tip that I read many years ago, and have actually used, is to caramelise a small amount of sugar so it becomes dark brown and you can use that to darken the gravy. It doesn't make the gravy taste sweet providing you don't use very much, maybe a tablespoon.

It is a potentially dangerous technique because it means holding a ladle or equivalent in either the flame of a gas cooker or on the rings of an electric cooker. So you need to make sure that the handle of the ladle is well insulated so the heat doesn't travel to your hand.

Basically, you put a small amount of sugar in the ladle and wait until it bubbles and goes dark brown (doesn't matter if some of it goes hard because it'll go back to being liquid when you mix it with the gravy). I know it works, because that's exactly why I tried that technique. But, please, be careful - pale gravy is better than burned fingers.

I made this myself last night and it is now in the freezer ready for christmas day

Did you let it roast till it had browned?

Have you mashed it up to within an inch of its life?

I added chicken stock too (unashamedly, from knorr cube).

It will definitely be paler than gravy made from granules or bought gravy.

Bet it tastes great though

gravy browning/marmite/stock cube should change it's colour but it's more important that it tastes yum!

Does anyone have recipe for this please?
I missed the programme, and our Internet connection is rubbish for downloading programmes, it keeps pausing every few seconds, very frustrating!

Thank you.

Chicken gravy(homemade stuff) generally is much paler than normal gravy.

Thank you so much Jajas - that's fantastic! Brilliant. Best go out tomorrow to buy the ingredients. Sorry for hijack thread

jajas is right, but at the end, when you put the tray on the heat and mash up the contents, sprinkle over a couple of tbsp's of plain flour and mix it around then add 2 pints of chicken or veg stock and keep stirring - keep tasting and add seasoning - I also added a bit of dried sage.

Simmer for 10 mins or so then put through a sieve. If you are freezing, allow it to cool then freeze.

I froze mine in a sealable bag-type-thing so it froze flat and didn't take up too much room.

thanks stirling! i'm planning to make tomorrow, as i think that should be okay in fridge for 3 days.
thanks for posting

I use dark soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to add a bit of colour. Go easy, though, as both are strong flavours.

If you haven't got much colour it sounds like you didn't roast the veg/chicken wings enough to start with. But don't worry, it will taste lovely!

it tastes a bit like soup!!!!! would this be because i didnt roast the chicken wings long enough, i didnt use any kind of oil or fat to roast them in either!! I roasted the chicken wings for an hour as intructed, i followed everything as intructed so i dont know why its gone wrong

right, ive added some gravy granules and it still tastes of soup so im going to start again...any advice, im thiking of maybe adding a bit of chicken fat and frying the onions and chicken wings to get a bit of colour on them....any other tips?

I did Jamie's gravy on Friday night. Some of the veg burnt a bit whilst roasting so that helped the colour. I also added some white wine. Tastes yum and any way of getting ahead will help keep my stress levels on Xmas day to a minimum.

see, my veg was quite aneamic looking, i think that must have been where it went wrong, im going to roast it for longer and add a bit of fat i think.....
hmm, love the white wine idea too (also means i get to drink the rest)

Do you mash the veg up and leave it in, or do you strain the gravy to take the veg out?

I made this too and it did go dark - the chicken wing and some of the veg had gone brown after I'd roasted them

Here's Jajas list adapted with added quantities

Celery
He used 2 large ones (I used 4 small ones)
Carrots
He used 2 big ones washed not peeled and roughly chopped (I used 2 middle sized and 1 small)
Onions
He used 2 big ones chopped in quarter (I used 1 big & 2 small)
Sage leaves
He used 5 chopped(i used the whole bag of the Tesco fresh stuff)
Bay leaves
2 just thrown in
Rosemary
He used 2 large springs (I used dried - don't tell Jamie)
Smoked streaky bacon
2 rashers chopped
Chicken wings
Looked like he used 4/5, cracked open/flat - I used a bag of frozen ones (much smaller than Jamie's)
Star anise
2 (I didn't use cause I couldn't find any anywhere!)

Season with salt and pepper

I had the very same problem Minx. I have added some beef bisto and it is much much better. Tastes lovely but still a bit soupy thick. But I am NOT starting again. Bollocks to that. The fact I have done it in advance is a Christmas miracle in itself.

Gosh, doesn't anyone else use gravy browning? (does the caramelised thing for you!)

I was about to ask the exact same question. I made both the JO stock and the gravy yesterday. The stock is lovely but the gravy was pale and tasted very soupy. I think I might just use the stock with the turkey juices I cant be bothered to start again - and its too much waste anyway.

Ive never used gravy browning -does it change the texture or flavour?

Gravy browning doesn't alter the falvour/texture at all. I have some (my MIL bought it when she was down visiting). Not something that I would buy (I haven't used it for years), but it is handy when you get pale gravy.

What do you all mean by soupy - are you referring to the consistency or the taste? If it's consistency then can't you just thin it out? And do you strain it to take the veg out or not?

I'm worrying now, as I plan to make it tomorrow but it seems like it's a bit hit and miss

I was brought up (Mum v good home cook, gran former cook in service, Dad prof chef) to make gravy from the meat juices - that gives it the flavour - and then add a few drops of gravy browning to improve the colour.

Mum and Dad used to mix flour with the juices to thicken. However, I add veg water to the juices (all tepid). Then I mix up cornflour with a little water till quite smooth. Then I add the white cornflour liquid to the juice-and-veg-water and stir over low heat. The gravy thickens as the mixture gets hotter, approaching boiling, and cooks. Then I adjust seasoning and colour to taste.

You can add a little alcohol at an early stage (so that it cooks) or herbs etc.

That's basically it. Lovely gravy with no need of Marmsto.