Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm puzzled, Wyshie. Your dish looks so much better than the one from the cookbook. I'd much prefer your gravy to that pallid white stuff, at least I would know it had flavor. That said, I would agree with others, there's some sauce "beautification" going on in the book pic.
I also wonder if there was some cheesecloth or other strainage going on with the book sauce.
As I looked at the two photos again. The book photo has very little sauce. With your sauce, there is plenty. The book sauce was definitely made separately. Just enough to appear in the photo. Nice pictures in the books. But reality in your kitchen is so much closer to the truth. I would rather eat your dish than the one in the book.
If the recipe in the books sounds and looks like something you would want to make and eat, then cook your heart out. I think we are all in agreement here.
As the old saying goes, "Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see. Wise advice.