<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Rebecca Richardson's query about making a roux prompts me to forward at
least a partial summary of the many, many replies I received some weeks ago
in response to a similar question. The most interesting possibility was
this one:

A member in our group discovered a unique way to make a roux.  He
toast/browns sweet rice flour in a DRY pan, then adds pan dripping or butter,
& liquid ingredients.  It has a wonderful taste & a really nice consistency &
will actually get thicker as more water evaporates.  I have used toasted sweet
rice flour to add to recipes where it calls for "sprinkle 2 Tbs. flour over
meat" during the cooking process.  I may add a but more, but it will stay
think during cooking & it does have a wonderful cooked taste that is lacking
most of the time.  Hope this helps.

The above is thanks to Bev in Milwaukee

Furthermore..a number of people reorted good success with sweet rice flour.
Some said you have to tinker with the amount, using maybe half the amount
you would use were it wheat flour.

A third respondant said:

I've had really good luck thickening stews and gravies with rice
flour.  I've made roux from white rice flour.  The flour browns easily, has
a pleasant taste and thickens the gravy very well.

I do apologize for having been so laggard in my summarizing duties---the
press of work, a month out of town etc. etc. But perhaps this is timely for
some.

Thanks to everyone for so generously sharing their expertise.

Mary B
NYC