The object is to start with a mixture of flour and fat that has a specific consistency which is hard to describe in words but once you've seen it, you can easily recognize it again.
The fat and flour act liquid if you leave them alone but stay together in a thick smooth paste if stirred. If there is too much fat it runs off. If there is too much flour it is not a smooth mixture and you have lumps or dry clumps of flour. It is the amount of fat that coats each grain of flour without any extra fat. Experiment. The right consistency is fun to stir and play with. There is also a range around the consistency that works.
Put about a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of butter or some other fat in a flat pan. Put them on a low heat. Tilt the pan so the flour and butter are kept together as the flour melts. Mix with a spoon or fork. Add small amounts of flour, stirring each in until thoroughly you get the right consistency - try starting with half teaspoons and decreasing the amount each time. If it gets too dry add a smidge of fat.
Once you have the right proportions of fat and flour you have a roux. Remove excessive amounts of roux that result from the experiments. A little roux goes a long way.
Now you have to cook the flour. Cook on a high heat, stirring constantly until the flour begins to brown. Things happen quickly at this point. Cook until evenly brown.
Add a few drops of liquid and stir in well. Reduce the heat. The liquid will make the roux dry and act more like peanut butter than a liquid. Add a few drops more and stir. Keep adding liquid in increasing amounts, stirring in well after each addition. When the roux turns to a liquid rather than a thick paste you can add larger amounts of liquid. Now the roux is a smooth sauce. Add liquid to the desired thinness.
If you add more than a few drops of liquid at a time at the start, you get lumpy gravy. Go slow and have faith.
Darlene
(9/5/01)
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