The encyclopaedia of gravy
A teaspoon of redcurrant jelly, cranberry sauce or sugar balances a salty or over-rich gravy — a technique inherited from the medieval sweet-sharp tradition.
Why sweetness belongs in gravy¶
A small amount of sweetness balances salt, softens acidity and rounds the bitterness that comes from dark beers, heavy reductions or well-browned roux. It is not there to make the gravy sweet — if you can taste it as sweetness, you have used too much.
The instinct is old. Medieval European cooking paired meat with fruit and verjuice as standard, and the sweet-sharp accompaniment survives in redcurrant with lamb, cranberry with turkey and apple with pork. See medieval sauces.
The options¶
| Addition | Dose | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Redcurrant jelly | 1 tsp | Lamb, venison, turkey |
| Cranberry sauce | 1 tsp | Turkey, chicken, Christmas |
| Rowan or quince jelly | 1 tsp | Game, lamb |
| Port or Madeira | 50 ml, reduced | Turkey, game, beef |
| Caramelised onions | Unlimited | Everything — the best source |
| Sugar | A pinch | Balancing beer bitterness |
| Balsamic vinegar | 1 tsp | Sweet and sharp at once |
| Tomato purée, cooked out | 1 tbsp | Sweetness plus umami and colour |
How to add it¶
Stir into the hot gravy until fully dissolved, then taste before adding more. Jellies are concentrated and a second spoonful is usually one too many.
The best source of sweetness remains well-caramelised onions, because they bring flavour and body along with the sugar. A gravy built on properly browned onions rarely needs anything else. See onions in gravy.
The mint sauce question¶
Stirring mint sauce into lamb gravy divides households sharply — vinegar and sugar in quantity will overwhelm a carefully made gravy. The diplomatic solution is to serve it separately. See mint sauce and best gravy for roast lamb.