What Makes Gordon Ramsay's Holiday Gravy Unique
Some may think that Christmas turkey is the true showstopper on the holiday dinner table. But if you've ever experienced the sheer joy of a good gravy, you know that it can make or break a perfectly roasted turkey. Make it right and the gravy can hide any of the turkey's shortcomings with its flavor. Get it wrong and it won't matter how golden, crisp, and tender your turkey is.
Per Delish, a holiday gravy usually has a few key elements: a good stock, turkey drippings for fat, herbs for seasoning, and flour to make a roux that will thicken the gravy. As long as you have the basics, you can then play with ingredients that will add more flavor to the gravy.
While these may be the fundamentals of a good gravy, everyone knows that Gordon Ramsay is not one to follow the rules. The fiery chef not only entirely omits the flour in making a roux base for his gravy, but his holiday gravy also has a couple of unusual ingredients — apple cider and walnuts (via Gordon Ramsay's Youtube channel).
Apple cider and walnuts are key to Ramsay's gravy
Ramsay shares a few golden rules in his gravy recipe video: Rest your turkey for the same amount of time that you've cooked it for, and don't forget the gravy. His turkey gravy starts off with frying chopped bacon, lemon, and onions used to roast the turkey with in a separate pan. Then, throw in some sprigs of rosemary, chopped tomatoes to thicken the gravy, and turkey trimmings for fat.
Now here's the key. Once all that's fried off, Ramsay pours in dry apple cider, which he says "adds a lovely subtle apple flavor that really lifts the taste of the turkey meat." Next, he adds the juices from the roasted turkey, mashes it all up in the hot pan, adds chicken stock, and lets his gravy reduce by half.
The next important bit is to add crushed walnuts to the gravy pot before pouring in the cooked gravy. The final gravy, Ramsay says, will have an "apple-y nutty flavor" which will complement the turkey. Ramsay's turkey gravy with cider and walnuts will also go well with the fruitiness of his pork, sage, and apple stuffing (if you're following his stuffing recipe).