Darkening a roux based gravy

Robert Lee said:

We don't often get exotic food stuffs in our two supermarkets in
Nome (AK). So, yesterday, when turkey wings showed up in the meat
case, I bought them all. 😉 [snip]

There you are with all those caribou and you call turkey wings exotic?!
I remember a great June night out at Council--11:00 p.m., standing in
the wild river catching 20" grayling, moose and bear tracks on the
river bank, 68° and the sun still high in the sky....

Quoted message said:

However, last night I sauteed the wings until brown and removed them
from the skillet. Then I added flour to the remaining oil and turkey
fat and tried to cook the roux to the color I wanted, BUT..., the
bottom of the pan began to brown/blacken too quickly. Now (tonight
to finish), the gravy tastes a little pasty and isn't brown enough.
The pasty has been fixed. It's the pale color I need help with.

Here's my question: [snip] What else can I use to darken a
too pale fricasee?

Sounds good. Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce are two things that
come to mind to darken the dish, but they are strongly flavored.
You'll have to judge whether you can get the color you want without
changing the taste too much. For next time, I'd guess that you need
lower heat and longer time with the roux to develop the color without
blackening it.

Robert Lee said:

What else can I use to darken a too pale fricasee?

Robert

Why would you want brown gravy with poultry, blech.

You can dry toast a few spoonfuls of flour in a heavy pan over med-lo
heat while stirring for about 20 minutes, then add to your dish a bit
at a time until the desired color is reached- thin with stock/beer if
desired. Or add instant color the easy way, may even improve flavor:
paprika/tumeric- saffron if you feel flush. Hey, a bright hue is
nicer with poultry than pale pablum grey.

"Robert Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Here's my question: I have a 20 year old bottle of Kitchen Bouquet
which followed me uninvited from Thibodaux, LA, but I'd rather not
use it. (I know. There's nothing in it to go bad.) What else can
I use to darken a too pale fricasee?

Robert

You could bake some flour to a rich brown on a cookie sheet (read that
somewhere) but the darker the flour browns the less it is able to
thicken. Which you probably knew already.

There is a product...Gravy Browning...it is a burnt caramel
substance...has a nuetral flavour.

I like Cross and Blackwells' version (brand name was improperly spelled).

I buy a bottle about every 5 yrs...a little goes a long way.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban

In article <[email hidden]>, "Robert Lee"

Quoted message said:

Here's my question: I have a 20 year old bottle of Kitchen Bouquet which
followed me uninvited from Thibodaux, LA, but I'd rather not use it. (I
know. There's nothing in it to go bad.) What else can I use to darken a
too pale fricasee?

Robert

Instant coffee. Cocoa powder. I'd use the Kitchen Bouquet--that's what
it's for.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Robert Lee said:

We don't often get exotic food stuffs in our two supermarkets in Nome (AK).
So, yesterday, when turkey wings showed up in the meat case, I bought them
all. 😉 When you make groceries in Nome, there's always a surprise!
Usually, not this good!

Usually, I brown the wings and saute the trinity in the remaining fat. I
make a roux and bring it to the color I need. (Darker meat (pork, beef) ,
lighter roux, light meat (chicken, turkey, seafood), darker roux). Don't
ask. It's just what we do in my part of south Louisiana.

However, last night I sauteed the wings until brown and removed them from
the skillet. Then I added flour to the remaining oil and turkey fat and
tried to cook the roux to the color I wanted, BUT..., the bottom of the pan
began to brown/blacken too quickly. Now (tonight to finish), the gravy
tastes a little pasty and isn't brown enough. The pasty has been fixed.
It's the pale color I need help with.

Here's my question: I have a 20 year old bottle of Kitchen Bouquet which
followed me uninvited from Thibodaux, LA, but I'd rather not use it. (I
know. There's nothing in it to go bad.) What else can I use to darken a
too pale fricasee?

Robert

Once or twice a year, I roast a couple of cups of flour in the oven
until it looks like light cocoa. It takes a long time, and you have to
keep stirring it to get it browned evenly. Then I keep it in a jar in
my pantry and use it whenever I make gumbo instead of making a dark
roux. It would work perfectly for what you're doing.

Bob

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Robert Lee said:

We don't often get exotic food stuffs in our two supermarkets in
Nome (AK). So, yesterday, when turkey wings showed up in the meat
case, I bought them all. 😉 [snip]

There you are with all those caribou and you call turkey wings exotic?!

I've eaten reindeer/caribou, but it's not on my list of good meat. Moose
egg rolls, however, were pretty good.

I remember a great June night out at Council--11:00 p.m., standing in
the wild river catching 20" grayling, moose and bear tracks on the
river bank, 68° and the sun still high in the sky....

Perhaps "exotic" was the wrong word. 🙂 Usually the only items in the meat
case are pork chops, roasts, ground beef...you get the drift. We *do* get
some fine pork ribs from Canada. A rack of lamb or a flank steak is a
rarity. (I've never seen a brisket in Nome save the ones we bring in from
Anchorage at US$5 per pound).

Grocery stores here cater to the *needs* of bush Alaskans rather than the
*wants* of us non-Alaskans. (Although there seems to be an inordinate
amount of fast/processed food items on the supermarket shelves.)

Cooking in Nome is a *real* challenge. 😉 !!!

Quoted message said:

Here's my question: [snip] What else can I use to darken a too pale
fricasee?

For next time, I'd guess that you need
lower heat and longer time with the roux to develop the color without
blackening it.

Good idea. I'll give it a try next time. Every once in a while, I try to
take a short cut with unfortunate results.

Robert