T-6 hours: Roux the Day!

The colors, the smells of turkey day morning! 

Here's the roux for my gravy. A roux is equal parts of fat (butter, in this case) and flour, cooked to build a nutty flavor (and cook out any raw flour taste). Later, it will thicken the gravy. The coating of fat on each flour granule guarantees no lumps and the gravy benefits from the nutty brown flavor. The lighter the roux, the more thickening power. For gravy, I like to see a color about like peanut butter. Here's the progression.