This Cream Gravy recipe comes from The Cook Book of The United States Navy, NAVSANDA Publication No. 7, revised by the Navy in 1945, and now revised by me in 2019. This is part of my on-going Navy project, which you can read more about here.
Cream Gravy is undeniably tasty, and is the down-filled-comforter- in-a-duvet-of-Egyptian-cotton of comfort foods. It’s also very, very easy to imainge how you could get from here to the SOS my ex-Navy dad used to feed his battalion of boys.
Ingredients for 2 cups of gravy
3 Tbs (1½ oz.) bacon fat, divided
1/2 cup (2½ oz., from 1/4 of a medium-sized onion) minced onion
1/2 tsp thyme (optional)
3 Tbs (3/4 oz.) AP flour
1 Tbs (1/4 oz.) whole wheat or rye flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup milk (full fat, although 2% works)
3/4 tsp. (1/4 oz.) salt
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Cayenne, to taste, optional
How to do it:
- Heat 1 Tbs fat in a large skillet over a medium flame. Toss in a few pieces of onion. When they begin to sizzle, toss in the rest of the onion (and thyme). Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add remaining 2 Tbs fat and both flours, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens, about 3 minutes.
- Add the stock and milk. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until the liquid thickens to a gravy, about 5 minutes. Off heat. Add salt, pepper, (and cayenne).
Store airtight, refrigerated; reheats beautifully.
Notes:
I don’t know how many servings you’d get out of 2 cups of this gravy, but I find that about 2 Tbs is as much as I can eat and not feel as though I’ve over-indulged – but of course this would depend on what you’re putting it on. Even back in the day when my body could process fuel like a Saturn V rocket, I had a hard time understanding why someone would put cream gravy on a biscuit. Together, they’ve got enough calories to get you to the moon and back a couple of times.
I’ve made a lot of gravies and sauces, but I’m only passingly familiar with Cream Gravy. Some meager research gives me the impression that meat drippings are the preferred fat. I’m not sure if bacon fat is an alternative, or is simply the most accessible meat fat for a lot of modern Americans, but it seems to turn up almost as often. I’ve seen recipes calling for vegetable oil and/or butter – which is weird, because that would just be a white sauce as far as I can tell. Having said that, you can really taste the bacon in this gravy. If you don’t want to, I’d suggest either of two paths: use a 50/50 mix of fat and butter, or in the second addition of fat – the one that is combined with the flour – use one Tbs instead of two.
The wheat flour was my idea – and I’m no Southerner, so please look the other way if authenticity matters to you. I feel it lends flavor and color. I’ve seen recipes using wheat exclusively.
If you’re reconstituting a reduction for the stock (as I usually do), use 25% more of the base than you normally would. Chicken works as well as beef; the difference would have to do with your intended use.
Most of the Cream Gravy recipes I’ve seen call for milk or cream as the only liquid. The Navy recipe calls for half cream/half stock, and I felt that was going to lend flavor, so I went with it.
Of those I’ve tried thus far, this is the first of the Navy recipes that worked as-is (although I did decrease the yield, of course). Even the salt amount was spot-on. If it was good, it was also a bit plain; the modifications that I made to it were more an effort to fancy it up than to fix it.
Cream Gravy
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. In the course of prepping this post, I stumbled onto additional interesting Navy menus, like “USS Monterey Christmas Dinner Menu 1918.” I wouldn’t mind recreating that one, right down to the cigarettes: commemorative tattoos, obligatory.
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Gravy made with bacon fat has got to be good, no, MAGNIFICENT! I feel like that I can use it for almost ANYTHING!
angiesrecipes recently posted…Barberry Buns with Turmeric Date Filling
You probably could put it on anything. Indeed, I think many people do.
I’m really enjoying this series, Jeff. As a Southerner myself, I have to say that your gravy looks amazing! And while I was a bit surprised at the wheat flour addition, I can actually see why you chose that route. It would add a subtle nuttiness that’d be quite tasty I think. Either way, you nailed it! And, yes, 2 Tbsp of gravy is more than plenty!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta
Thanks, David! Of course, I ate the biscuits that I shot for this post, and each of them had probably a quarter cup of gravy on them. And did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I quitely think to myself that I could use more gravy? Yes. But afterward, I slipped into a food coma and was out for half a day.
Jeff, when I read your post title my mind immediately went to the Village People’s song “In the Navy”. I have a weird mind.
I was raised on cream gravy and was likely an adult before I had brown gravy. Nothing better than chicken fried steak with cream gravy. Interesting recipe as I always use milk, I must try a milk/stock combo next time I make it. Bacon cream gravy on piping hot biscuits, pure comfort my friend.
I’m enjoying your Navy project.
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Thanks, Ron! I’m the opposite, and didn’t have cream gravy until I was well into my adulthood – probably on a chicken fried steak (a term I’ve always though kind of hysterical). A gravy like this is going to eventually wind up on the ham steaks that will go with this full-blown Navy meal, once I get it all together. (And yes, I’m usually humming In the Navy to myself as I’m writing most of these posts.)
What a treat this would be. The gravy sounds AMAZING! With two who have to be gluten-free in my house, this is something I’d be over the moon to see on a menu so I could order it out. Too bad I can’t run out for this one. (LOVE the use of the bacon fat! Brilliant.)
Thanks, Valentina! Yes, I should’ve mentioned that it’s gluten free!
Cream gravy is good stuff! Wonderful when made in the same pan that you used to make chicken-fried steak or pan-fried chicken. Or made with sausage, and serve it over biscuits. Or bacon, as you did. But you’re right — a little bit of it goes a LONG way!
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You know, I’m going to need to learn to make chicken fried steak. Thanks for the idea, John!
i’ve never heard of cream gravy. how fascinating! did they feed this to navy types way back then? 🙂 It seems like a slightly different sort of bechamel really. I keep reading the term chicken fried steak lately. not something we eat in australia! or maybe we do and i just don’t know about it… cheers sherry
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It’s a Southern thing, and I’m not a Southerner, so I’m maybe not the one to explain, but I just can’t help myself: yes, to me too it seemed a lot like a béchamel. I’m doing a long-term project, the end of which is going to be to recreate a 1945 Navy meal, but really foodie it up. This gravy’s going to go on some broiled ham steaks. Chicken Fried Steak is a term I love to laugh at. Is it a steak that was fried like a chicken? A steak that was afraid of the fry pan? In fact, it’s not a steak at all. It’s a chicken cutlet, pounded flat … which is steak-like in a sense, I guess. I think it ought to be called Fried Chicken Steaks; that’d make more sense. Basically, it’s Chicken Parm without the sauce or cheese, covered instead with a meat-flavored béchamel. I’ve only had it once or twice; thing like that are hard to find where I live. But I loved it, I must say. Quite comfort foodish.
your Navy project sounds fascinating! good luck with it.
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Thanks!
Growing up in Texas, where if there was a state food it would probably be chicken fried steak, it is indeed beef and not chicken. 😀 It is a piece of meat that is pounded, dipped into seasoned flour, egg, and back into flour, and then fried. If you want chicken, then you order chicken fried chicken and it would be what you just described. Don’t mean to step on anyones toes but thought it might help in the discussion. BTW, your cream gravy sounds great…I don’t think my first comment went through.
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That’s interesting. I guess what I’ve had is chicken fried chicken, then!
Honestly I have never made gravy, let alone cream gravy, but when I read the first ingredient I must admit that besides being shocked I could quickly understand why gravy are so tasty…and I can see myself just eating spoonful of it…thanks for the recipe, I should give this a try.
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