White Wine and Tarragon Gravy

Red wine gravy gets all the attention, but white wine does something different and rather better with poultry. It stays pale and clean tasting and lets the tarragon come through. Made in the tin under a roast chicken it takes about fifteen minutes.

Ingredients

Makes about 400ml, enough for four plates

• 2 tbsp chicken fat from the tin, or butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1½ tbsp (22g) plain flour
• 250ml (9fl oz) dry white wine Sauvignon Blanc, Picpoul or a dry Chardonnay
• 450ml (16fl oz) hot chicken stock
• 2 tbsp double cream
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped leaves only
• 1 tsp lemon juice to finish
• salt and white pepper

Kit

• Roasting tin
• Whisk
• Sieve

Method

1. Rest the chicken on a board and tip off all but two tablespoons of fat from the tin, leaving the sticky brown juices behind.

2. Put the tin on a medium heat, add the shallots and soften them for four minutes without letting them colour. You want them sweet and pale, not browned, because this gravy should stay light.

3. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute and a half, keeping it moving so it does not catch.

4. Add the wine in stages, whisking. Once it is all in, raise the heat and let it bubble briskly for six to eight minutes until reduced by two thirds and it smells fruity rather than sharp. Unreduced white wine tastes acidic and watery in gravy, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

5. Whisk in the hot stock gradually, bring to a simmer and cook for six minutes until it coats a spoon lightly.

6. Strain into a clean pan, stir in the cream and warm it through without boiling. Boiling after the cream goes in can make it look grainy.

7. Off the heat, stir in the tarragon and the lemon juice, then season with salt and white pepper. Serve within a few minutes while the tarragon is still fragrant.

Tips worth knowing

• Add the tarragon at the very end. Cooked for more than a minute it turns musty and loses that aniseed lift.
• White pepper rather than black keeps the gravy looking clean. Black pepper is fine but you will see the flecks.
• For a non-alcoholic version use 250ml of white grape juice or apple juice with 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar and reduce it the same way. Alcohol free white wine also works well here since there is no long reduction to concentrate any off flavours.
• If it splits, take it off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of cold stock. That usually brings it back.

Keeping and reheating

Best fresh, but it will hold three days in the fridge. Reheat very gently. It does not freeze brilliantly because of the cream, so freeze it before the cream goes in if you want to make it ahead.

Questions people ask