A gorgeous roasted turkey, golden brown with a sheen that speaks to basting perfection, is moist and flavorful at its finest. It is definitely the star of a Thanksgiving table.

But the bird alone can rarely take the meal over the top. That falls to the sides — as in side dishes. A favorite stuffing or inventive cranberry sauce adds body and brightness to the dining experience. Same goes for gravy, the focus here.

Gravies are so diverse, there’s one for every palate and skill level. But they all start at the same place: turkey drippings, which provide the flavor base. My mother’s quick version, adding a strained slurry (flour and water) to the drippings and then cooking for a few minutes, is delicious seasoned simply with a dash of salt and pepper. Many recipes call for a roux — a cooked mixture of fat and flour — that forms the base of a rich, thick gravy.

One of three recipes offered today incorporates a roux. It is a luscious, downright delicious gravy that Star-Advertiser editorial columnist Cynthia Oi was gracious enough to share. Her version uses every drop of fat drippings for the roux, making it a decadent, once-a-year treat. Oi says that in her family it’s all about the gravy, so she makes quarts and everyone goes home with a tub to extend the Thanksgiving experience for days.

The next recipe comes from Star-Advertiser News Editor Stephanie Kendrick, one of our resident foodies. Kendrick’s easy-to-make gravy is a lively alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving one, with its kick of brined green peppercorns and Dijon mustard, made rich with whipping cream and white wine. In fact, it was intended for pork but works quite well with poultry. If this recipe is a bit bold for your crowd, mellow it down by adding chicken stock.

Finally, there’s a recipe for those who live in the kitchen and enjoy every minute of it. It comes from newspaper columnist and public-radio show host Lynne Rossetto Kasper of "The Splendid Table." This one involves hours of simmering giblets with various chopped veggies and red wine, and is thickened with a slurry. It’s a recipe for those who can appreciate a gravy that’s complex and sophisticated in flavor.

No matter which recipe suits your Thanksgiving gathering, each delivers on enhancing the turkey experience and the enjoyment of the whole meal.

Choose a roasting method to yield enough drippings to make the perfect meal complement

Drippings are the foundation of a good gravy, but how much you’ll get depends on your method of roasting.

Placing a turkey in a roasting bag will yield cups of drippings even from a 12- to 14-pound bird because all moisture is kept in the bag. Open-pan roasting will yield less; the same size turkey might produce 1/2 to 1 cup. Nonstick pans will create more caramelized drippings and less liquid.

But according to the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, those caramelized globs are concentrated with flavor, so simply incorporating water will make it suitable as a gravy base. You could double the quantity with water, but taste as you go along. If necessary, supplement with chicken broth.

Here are three recipes to get you on your way.

TURKEY GRAVY

Courtesy Cynthia Oi

3 cups drippings
1-1/2 cups flour, or more if necessary
Up to 32 ounces chicken broth, to your preference

Pour drippings, fat and all, into a pot and place pot over medium-high heat to reduce. Scrape off brown bits from pan and add to pot. Do not skim off fat.

When drippings are reduced by half, make a roux: Add in flour gradually, whisking to incorporate, until roux is the consistency of pudding. Add broth gradually, whisking to incorporate. Continue adding broth to desired consistency. Makes about 3 cups.

Approximate nutritional information, per 1/4 cup serving: 300 calories, 26 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, no fiber or sugar, 2 g protein

GREEN PEPPERCORN GRAVY

Courtesy Stephanie Kendrick

1 cup turkey drippings
3 tablespoons brined green peppercorns, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper, to taste

On medium heat in heavy pan, pour turkey drippings. Add peppercorns, crushing with back of wooden spoon.

Add mustard and mix thoroughly. Stir in cream and wine.

Bring to boil and reduce for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

Approximate nutritional information, per 1/4 cup serving (not including salt to taste): 350 calories, 38 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, no carbohydrate, fiber, sugar or protein

FOOL-PROOF GRAVY

Lynne Rossetto Kasper, "The Splendid Table"

Turkey giblets, neck and wing tips
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bottle white wine
2-1/2 cups (20 ounces) canned chicken broth
Water, as needed
1 generous tablespoon flour
1/2 to 2/3 cup cold water

In 4- to 6-quart saucepan, place giblets, neck and wing tips, and add vegetables. Cover by 2 inches with wine, broth and water as needed. Simmer, partially covered, 2 to 3 hours. Broth will reduce; keep solids covered with liquid.

Strain broth; discard solids. Set aside.

Remove turkey from pan. Skim fat from pan. Set roasting pan over two burners on high heat. Start boiling down juices, scraping up any browned bits with spatula. Gradually add broth, one cup at a time.

After 3 to 4 cups are added, continue boiling and stirring until reduced to 2 to 3 cups of rich, deep-flavored liquid.

As liquid simmers, place flour into tall glass. Gradually add cold water, beating with a fork, to make slurry. Beat until there are no lumps. Whisk slurry into bubbling broth. Keep simmering and whisking until gravy is smooth and thick enough to lightly coat spoon.

Taste. If you taste raw flour, simmer another minute. Season if necessary. Makes 2 to 3 cups.

Approximate nutritional information, per 1/4 cup (assumes 1/2 cup fat drippings could not be skimmed off): 130 calories, 9 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 1 g sugar, 1 g protein

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Building blocks of good gravy

Two standard methods for thickening liquid for sauces, gravies and soups are rouxs and slurries. The first is a classic French technique; the other is often referred to as a "cowboy roux."

Roux

A roux is a mix of flour and fat, usually butter, vegetable oil or lard, used to thicken and deepen flavors of sauces, gravies and soups. The ratio of fat to flour is usually 1-to-1 by weight (or 1 cup fat and 1 3/4 cup flour).

Though roux is often described as complicated to make, it mostly requires careful attention.

Basically, fat is heated in a pan, then flour is gradually whisked in until a thick, rough paste forms. The mixture continues to cook and requires constant whisking until it smooths out and begins to thin.

At this point the roux is cooked another five to 45 minutes, depending on the kind being made: white, blond, brown or dark brown. Blond roux is most commonly used as a thickening agent and provides a slight nutty flavor.

Cool roux until it stops bubbling, then add stock.

Or, make and keep for later use: According to allrecipes.com, refrigerated or frozen roux will keep indefinitely. Add directly to soups or sauces for quick thickening.

Slurry

A mix of flour or cornstarch and liquid, used as a thickening agent, is a slurry. Some define a slurry as strictly cornstarch and water. Some say slurries require cold water and the starch. But there are recipes that call for starch and broth from a heated pot.

Whatever the particulars, combine the starch and liquid, mixing with a fork if necessary to eliminate lumps. Or, if there are lumps, strain.

Add the mixture at the end of the cooking time, and cook for a minute or two. Taste food; if there’s a raw flour taste, cook a few more minutes.

Star-Advertiser staff