Cullis, or Thickened Gravy
Ingredients
Directions
Thicken the gravy
In a basin, mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour with a ladleful of gravy until smooth.
Gradually add the remaining gravy, stirring continuously until well combined.
Simmer and adjust
Pour the mixture back into a stew pan and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Ensure the stew pan is half covered and watch for scum to form on top.
Adjust thickness by simmering longer or adding a bit of glaze or portable soup if too thin.
If too thick, thin with a spoonful or two of warm broth or water.
Stir the sauce occasionally while it cools.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Starch that swells and thickens the gravy as it heats, giving it body.
- Gravy
- The base liquid that is thickened into a sauce.
The step that matters
Mixing the flour into a smooth slurry first. Flour dropped into hot liquid clumps, because its outer layer hydrates before the inside can. Mixing it with a little cool gravy first spreads the starch evenly so it thickens smoothly when the rest is added.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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