GRAVIES. A gravy is a sauce made from the juices and fats extracted from meats in cooking. The term is also applied to the thickened liquid of stews. Ordinary meat gravies are dis tinguished from sauces by their predominating element (osma zome), which gives them their characteristic meat flavour. A plain meat gravy is the diluted juices of meat. It may be made: (a) by pouring hot water over a dripping pan, adding salt and pepper and boiling until the sediment in the pan has coloured to a brown colour; where a plain gravy is not well coloured, extra colouring may be added in the form of browned flour or of an artificial colouring made for the purpose; (b) by stewing shank ends of legs of mutton or other bones, gravy beef, etc., to form a stock; (c) by artificial means; i.e., gravy powders sold for the purpose. Meat gravies are often thickened with flour, and milk is sometimes added. Gravy is used with roast meat, game and poultry, but where meat is stuffed with forcemeat it is usual to serve a thickened gravy. In certain cases it is advisable to have extra flavouring added to the gravy, such as garlic, spices, walnut or mushroom ketchup, lemon juice, etc. Generally speaking, these are used for stews and inferior meats, etc., to give extra flavour. For varnishing galantines, savoury rolls, etc., glaze is used. This is made by reducing a good brown gravy (generally made from brown stock) until it is of sticky, glaze-like consistency.
(J. A. Si.)