Traditional Quebec-style brown gravy for poutine, made with a rich brown stock, toasted flour, and cornstarch for a smooth, glossy sauce with enough body to coat.
Ingredients
- 700 ml rich beef brown stock
- 35 g all-purpose wheat flour
- 18 g cornstarch
- 60 ml cold water
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 4 g fine salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Method
- Toast the flour dry in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. It should go from blond to hazelnut brown and smell like toasted biscuits. If it smokes or darkens in spots, immediately lower the heat and stir faster.
- Pour the toasted flour onto a cold plate to stop the cooking. Let it cool for a few minutes so it does not form lumps when it touches the liquid.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it gently foams. Add the toasted flour and whisk to form a smooth light- to medium-brown paste with no dry patches.
- Cook this paste for a few minutes over medium-low heat, whisking regularly. It should become homogeneous, smell of toasted bread, and pull slightly away from the bottom of the saucepan without developing a burnt smell.
- Gradually add the hot brown stock, whisking constantly in the center of the saucepan. Start with a small amount to loosen the paste, then add the rest in a stream to obtain a smooth gravy.
- Bring to a simmer, never a rolling boil. Cook gently, stirring often, until the gravy is an even brown color and lightly coats the back of a spoon.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until you have a perfectly white liquid with no compact deposit at the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the cornstarch mixture into the simmering gravy, whisking immediately. The gravy should thicken in less than a minute and become glossy, supple, and coating.
- Cook for a few more minutes at a gentle simmer to stabilize the thickening. The right texture flows from the ladle in a thick ribbon and coats the spoon without setting into a gel.
- Season with the fine salt and black pepper. Taste: the gravy should be deeply savory, roasted, and salty enough to accompany fries and cheese curds.
- Strain through a fine chinois if necessary for a perfectly smooth texture. Keep warm over very low heat, stirring from time to time, or loosen with a small amount of hot stock if it thickens too much before serving.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 95.1 kcal
- Protein
- 1.85 g
- Carbohydrate
- 11.69 g
- Fat
- 4.6 g
- Fibre
- 0.33 g
- Calcium
- 3.5 mg
- Iron
- 0.11 mg
- Magnesium
- 2.7 mg
