Last night I made Beef Marsala Stew, a New Year’s Day favorite. At the end of the recipe, it calls for thickening the juices that are created from the cooking process into a proper gravy. This is done via the creation of a slurry – a little of the marsala and some flour whisked together before whisking it again into those juices. I remembered that in years past I’d followed the process as outlined and it had ended up a little chunky, with the slurry “cooking” up like a dumpling as soon as it hit the hot liquid. So, last night I decided to temper the slurry first by adding a teaspoon of the hot juice to it and stirring to incorporate it. I did this twice. The result ended up being perfection and a lovely gravy (sans lumps) followed.
This then got me thinking more about slurries and how helpful they are.
If you’ve ever tried to mix warm milk or water with a dry powder to make hot chocolate or those creamy instant coffees, you no doubt understand how challenging it can be to work out the clumps. Next time, try a slurry. Dump your dry ingredients into your mug, add a little cold water or milk (a couple of tablespoons should be enough), and stir until you have a nice semi-thick liquid. When you then add the warm liquid to that, it should all come together much easier.