Corn Bread Dressing
I was thinking about Thanksgiving, while running my daughter out to her riding lesson. It would be nice to share a recipe for the holiday. This is from our book Simple to Elegant; a professional cooks guide to better home cooking.
Corn Bread
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour, all purpose
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. of flavor (fresh herbs, chilis, etc.)
Set you oven to 400°. Combine all of the dry ingredients and give them a good stir. Next, take all of the wet ingredients and whisk them together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Now is not the time for a workout. Just stir until it is combined. Here is a time when lumps are OK and we can add some flavor. For this recipe let’s add 2 tablespoons shredded sage.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Corn Bread Dressing
1 recipe of corn bread
2 cups day-old bread, 1-inch dice
1/2 cup onion, medium dice
1/4 cup carrot, medium dice
1/4 cup celery, medium dice
3 Tbsp. duck fat
1 large egg
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
This is best to do the day before. Take the cornbread and crumble it onto a sheet pan. Toast in the oven for a few minutes, until it starts to dry out a bit and takes on a golden brown color. Do this same step with the bread cubes. Allow them both to cool and dry over night or for a day or two.
The day you serve the duck, once the duck is in the oven, there should be a considerable accumulation of duck fat in the bottom of the pan. Steal a few tablespoons from the pan and place this in an 8-inch skillet with the onion, carrot and celery. Sweat this over medium low heat for a few minutes.
In a small bowl combine the egg and cream and stir to combine. Now place in a large bowl the bread and the corn bread and add the veggies with the cream-egg mixture and stir to combine. If this is dry, add the stock a 1/4 cup at a time. This should be fairly wet.
Transfer this to a heat-proof casserole dish and cover with foil. Place this in a 350° oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Or until the internal temperature reaches 190°.
The Next Level
Try adding some rendered polish sausage or some of the Tasso that I am sure you made after you read my recipe!
Enjoy
~T
