Spiced Christmas Gravy with Star Anise

This is the gravy for people who find the traditional jug a bit dull. Star anise and soy give it a deep savoury sweetness that suits turkey very well, and because it is built by reduction rather than a big roux it stays clear and shiny. It is different enough to be interesting without frightening anyone off.

Ingredients

Makes about 700ml, glossy and pourable

• 2 tbsp fat from the turkey tin or groundnut oil
• 4 shallots sliced
• 3 garlic cloves bashed
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
• 150ml (5fl oz) dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
• 900ml (1 1/2 pints) turkey or chicken stock unsalted if possible
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornflour slaked in 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
• black pepper

Kit

• Wide saucepan
• Fine sieve
• Small bowl for the slurry

Method

1. Heat the turkey fat in a wide saucepan over a medium heat and fry the shallots and garlic for six minutes until soft and browning at the edges. A wide pan matters here, because everything after this is about evaporation.

2. Add the star anise, cinnamon and five spice and stir for one minute until they smell fragrant. Dry spices need a moment in hot fat to open up, and thirty seconds too long makes them acrid, so keep them moving.

3. Sprinkle in the sugar and let it melt and darken for a minute against the base of the pan. You are after a light caramel, not a burnt one, and it will happen faster than you expect.

4. Pour in the sherry, which will hiss and lift the caramel. Let it bubble for two minutes, then add the stock and the soy. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a fast simmer.

5. Deglaze the turkey roasting tin with a ladle of this liquid, scraping the base hard, and pour it back into the pan. Simmer the whole lot uncovered for twenty minutes until reduced to about 700ml and noticeably darker.

6. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing the shallots. Bring back to a simmer, then whisk in the slaked cornflour and cook for one minute until it is just glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. This gravy should shine, not sit heavy.

7. Add the resting juices and simmer for another minute so they are cooked through. Finish with the vinegar and plenty of black pepper. It will need little or no salt because of the soy, so taste before adding any.

Tips worth knowing

• Two star anise in 900ml is the ceiling. Star anise is a bully and three will turn your Christmas dinner into aniseed balls.
• Use dark soy for colour and light soy if you want more salt. Dark soy is thicker and less salty than people assume.
• Cornflour gives you the gloss this gravy needs. A flour roux would make it cloudy and dull, which defeats the point.
• It reheats better than most because there is very little fat in it. That makes it a good candidate for making on Christmas Eve.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and three months frozen. Cornflour thickened gravy can go slightly watery after freezing, so bring it to the boil and whisk in a fresh half teaspoon of slaked cornflour if it has thinned. Cool it quickly in a shallow tray and reheat once to a rolling boil.

Questions people ask