Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [139]
whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
makes about 7 cups
Chicken Gravy
Creamy chicken gravy is the only sauce to serve with fried chicken and mashed potatoes, but it also comes in handy for serving with plain grilled chicken or over plain steamed rice. The gravy will stay warm in the slow cooker for hours, so you can set it and forget it while you go about your day. Any leftover gravy can be frozen for up to three months.
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup reconstituted demi-glace or pan drippings from a chicken, fat skimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
pour the broth and milk into the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Stir together the butter, flour, and any drippings in a small bowl.
whisk the mixture into the chicken broth in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the gravy is thickened. Season with salt and pepper. serve from the cooker set on warm.
makes about 10 cups
Turkey Gravy
If you are roasting a turkey, the drippings from the turkey will give your gravy a beautifully rich golden color. If you are making gravy for a slow-cooked turkey breast, you won’t have drippings, because the turkey is steamed rather than roasted; in that case, I recommend that you use a demi-glace to further enhance the flavor and color of your gravy.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup reconstituted demi-glace or pan drippings from a turkey
8 cups chicken or turkey broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Whisk in the drippings and broth and bring to boil.
transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
makes about 10 cups
Beef Gravy
Rich beef gravy is a delicious addition to dinner, especially accompanying a standing rib roast and ladled over mashed potatoes. I highly recommend using reconstituted demiglace for this gravy, because the flavor is outstanding. Any leftover gravy can be used for hot roast beef sandwiches or frozen for up to three months.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup reconstituted demi-glace or pan drippings from a roast
8 cups beef broth
melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
whisk in the thyme, demi-glace, and broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
makes about 10 cups
Red Wine and Beef Sauce
Red wine reduction sauces are delicious, and this sauce cooks with the lid off and perfumes your home with the flavors of bold red wine, shallots, thyme, and beef stock. When the sauce is reduced, a simple beurre manié is whisked in just before serving. This reduction is great to have on hand in the freezer. I generally make a batch and use some of it, then freeze the rest for up to three months.
½ cup (¼ stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cups full-bodied red wine
8 cups beef broth or reconstituted demi-glace
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
combine ¼ cup of the butter, the shallots, thyme, red wine, broth, and pepper in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cook uncovered on high for 4 hours, until the mixture is reduced by one-third.
stir the remaining melted butter and the flour together, then whisk into the sauce.