The stuff of stuffing
From humble to exotic, many ingredients make stuffing a Thanksgiving dish to be thankful for
By Alison Highberger / For The Bulletin
Published: November 10. 2009 4:00AM PST
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Whether it's cooked inside the turkey or out stuffing has long been a Thanksgiving favorite. But don't be afraid to choose exotic ingredients for this classic side dish. Stuffing staples like onions celery and sage can be coupled with walnuts raisins dried apples — even a pasilla pepper.
The Associated Press file photo
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Stuffing is one of the stars of the Thanksgiving table.
It's delicious whether made with simple ingredients such as celery, onions and a few herbs, or jazzed up with sausage, dried fruits and nuts, oysters, or hot peppers.
We discussed this classic side dish via e-mail with Christopher Kimball, founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and host of “America's Test Kitchen,” now in its eighth season on public television.
Like most of us, Kimball is a big fan of stuffing.
“Have you ever met someone who does not like stuffing? That would be like eating a Hostess Cupcake but not liking the creamy vanilla filling!” he said.
Kimball's Cook's Illustrated recipe for Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey (see recipes below, from www.cooksillustrated.com) calls for some of the stuffing to be cooked inside the bird in a simple cheesecloth wrapping for part of the roasting time. The stuffing is removed after a couple of hours, mixed with the remaining stuffing and baked in a dish until it reaches the recommended safe temperature of 165 degrees. (Bacteria can grow at temperatures lower than that, and may result in a food-borne illness.)
Kimball said the problem with cooking all the stuffing inside a turkey is that it usually takes a long time for the stuffing to reach a safe internal temperature, so that by the time it's ready, the breast meat has dried out.
Stuffing doesn't have to be baked inside the turkey at all to be one of Thanksgiving's best dishes.
Kimball's recipe for Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing (recipes below) is baked in a dish. Any stuffing recipe could be prepared the same way.
As you think (and salivate) about your own Thanksgiving stuffing, we leave you with Christopher Kimball's entertaining thoughts about this delectable Thanksgiving must-have dish.
Q: What's your favorite turkey stuffing and why?
A: Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing is always good, but I am not finicky as long as it is not either too dry or soaking wet and heavy.
Q: What do you like about the Cook's Illustrated Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffing?
A: That it tastes good? It ain't for its looks!
Q: How do you feel about stuffing recipes that include more exotic ingredients like oysters or chorizo sausage?
A: When it comes to turkey stuffing, there are no rules — you are living on the culinary edge. That being said, I am not in the mood for weird ingredients on the one day of the year where tradition rules.
Q: Does your family usually make the same recipe each year for turkey and stuffing, or do you change it up?
A: Thanksgiving is always on our farm in Vermont with the same guests every year, one of whom raised the turkey and brings it over the day before. Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing is always on the menu.
Q: Why do you think many people say that of all the foods on the Thanksgiving table, they love the stuffing the most?
A: Well, let's not get carried away! The pies? The trifle (at our table)? The Brussels sprouts? The mashed potatoes? The sweet potato casserole? The homemade Parker House Rolls swimming in butter? Lord, the stuffing is good, but Thanksgiving is a culinary democracy — it's about heaping a ton of food on the plate and being a complete pig! It ain't about a winner!
Recipes
Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey
Serves 10 to 12.
Table salt is not recommended for this recipe because it is too fine. To roast a kosher or self-basting turkey (such as a frozen Butterball), do not salt it in step one. Look for salt pork that is roughly equal parts fat and lean meat. The bread can be toasted up to a day in advance.
For the Turkey
1 turkey (12 to 15 lbs), giblets and neck reserved for gravy, if making (see note)
3 TBS plus 2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
12 oz salt pork, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices and rinsed
For the stuffing
1½ lbs white sandwich bread (about 15 slices), cut into ½-inch cubes (about 12 C)
4 TBS unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
1 med onion, chopped fine (about 1 C)
2 celery ribs, chopped fine (about 1 C)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 TBS minced fresh thyme leaves
1 TBS minced fresh marjoram leaves
1 TBS minced fresh sage leaves
1½ C low-sodium chicken broth
1 36-by-36-inch cheesecloth, folded in quarters
2 lg eggs
For the turkey: Using fingers or handle of a wooden spoon, separate turkey skin from meat on breast, legs, thighs and back; avoid breaking skin. Rub 1 tablespoon salt evenly inside cavity of turkey, 1½ teaspoons salt under skin of each breast, and 1½ teaspoons salt under skin of each leg. Wrap turkey tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 24 to 48 hours.
For the stuffing: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread bread cubes in single layer on baking sheet; bake until edges have dried but centers are slightly moist (cubes should yield to pressure), about 45 minutes, stirring several times during baking. Transfer to large bowl, and increase oven temperature to 325 degrees.
While bread dries, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add onion, celery, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and brown slightly, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in herbs; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vegetables to bowl with dried bread; add 1 cup broth and toss until evenly moistened.
To roast the turkey: Combine remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt and baking powder in small bowl. Remove turkey from refrigerator and unwrap. Thoroughly dry inside and out with paper towels. Using skewer, poke 15 to 20 holes in fat deposits on top of breast halves and thighs, 4 to 5 holes in each deposit. Sprinkle surface of turkey with salt-baking powder mixture and rub in mixture with hands, coating skin evenly. Tuck wings underneath turkey. Line turkey cavity with cheesecloth, pack with 4 to 5 cups stuffing, tie ends of cheesecloth together. Cover remaining stuffing with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Using twine, loosely tie turkey legs together. Place turkey breast-side down in V-shaped rack set in roasting pan and drape salt pork slices over back.
Roast turkey breast-side down until thickest part of breast registers 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 2 to 2½ hours. Remove roasting pan from oven (close oven door) and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Transfer turkey in rack to a rimmed baking sheet. Remove and discard salt pork. Using clean potholders or kitchen towels, rotate turkey breast-side up. Cut twine binding legs and remove stuffing bag; empty it into reserved stuffing in bowl. Pour drippings from roasting pan into a fat separator and reserve for gravy, if making.
Once oven has come to temperature, return turkey in V-rack to roasting pan and roast until skin is golden brown and crisp, thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, and thickest part of thigh registers 175 degrees — about 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest, uncovered, 30 minutes.
While turkey rests, reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Whisk eggs and remaining ½ cup broth together in small bowl. Pour egg mixture over stuffing and toss to combine, breaking up any large chunks; spread in buttered 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Bake until stuffing registers 165 degrees and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Carve turkey and serve with stuffing.
— Cook's Illustrated, www.cooksillustrated.com
Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffing for Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey
Makes about 12 cups.
1½ lbs white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 12 C)
4 TBS unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
1 med onion, chopped fine (about ½ C)
2 celery ribs, chopped fine (about 1 C)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 TBS minced fresh thyme leaves
1 TBS minced fresh marjoram leaves
1 TBS minced fresh sage leaves
1 C raisins
1 C dried apples, chopped fine
1 C walnuts, chopped coarse
1½ C low-sodium chicken broth
3 lg eggs
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread bread cubes in single layer on baking sheet; bake until edges have dried but center is slightly moist (cubes should yield to pressure), about 45 minutes, stirring several times during baking. Transfer dried bread to large bowl and increase oven temperature to 325 degrees.
While bread dries, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add onion, celery, 4 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and brown slightly, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in thyme, marjoram, and sage; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vegetable mixture, raisins, dried apples, walnuts to bowl with dried bread; add 1 cup broth and toss gently until evenly moistened (you should have about 12 cups stuffing).
Use stuffing as directed in Old-Fashioned Turkey recipe, adding eggs and remaining ½ cup broth.
— Cook's Illustrated, www.cooksillustrated.com
Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing
Makes about 12 cups, serving 10 to 12.
In this recipe, the stuffing is baked outside of the turkey in a baking dish. To make the stuffing a day in advance, increase both the chicken stock and half-and-half by ¼ cup each and refrigerate the unbaked stuffing 12 to 24 hours; before transferring it to the baking dish, let the stuffing stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes so that it loses its chill.
12 C cornbread broken into 1-inch pieces (include crumbs), spread in even layer on 2 baking sheets, and dried in a 250-degree oven 50 to 60 minutes
3 C chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 C half-and-half
2 lg eggs, beaten lightly
8 TBS (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
1½ lbs bulk pork sausage, broken into 1-inch pieces
3 med onions, chopped fine (about 3 C)
3 ribs celery, chopped fine (about 1½ C)
2 TBS minced fresh thyme leaves
2 TBS minced fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
Place cornbread in large bowl. Whisk together stock, half-and-half and eggs in medium bowl; pour over cornbread and toss very gently to coat so that cornbread does not break into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Heat a heavy-bottomed, 12-inch skillet over medium-heat until hot, about 1½ minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter to pan, and swirl to coat pan bottom. When foam subsides, add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage loses its raw color, about 5 to 7 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer sausage to medium bowl. Add about half the onions and celery to fat in skillet; sauté, stirring occasionally, over medium-high until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl with sausage. Return skillet to heat and add remaining 6 tablespoons butter; when foam subsides, add remaining celery and onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds; add salt and pepper. Add this mixture, along with the sausage and onion mixture, to cornbread and stir gently to combine so that cornbread does not break into smaller pieces. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
Adjust oven rack to lower middle and heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish (or two 9-inch square or 11-by-7-inch baking dishes). Transfer stuffing to baking dish; pour any liquid accumulated in bottom of bowl over stuffing and, if necessary, gently press stuffing with rubber spatula to fit into baking dish. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
— Cook's Illustrated, www.cooksillustrated.com
Alison Highberger
can be reached at ahighberger@mac.com.
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