On Sat 28 Nov 2009 08:40:11a, Jean B. told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Fri 27 Nov 2009 06:20:18p, Jean B. told us...
>>
>>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>> Yesterday we ate dinner out, but I had baked pies on Wednesday, so we
>>>> headed home for dessert.
>>>>
>>>> David and I headed out at 5:30 this morning to stop at a couple of
>>>> stores for Black Friday shopping, which took all of an hour. While
>>>> we were driving, we discussed the sad fact that we had no
>>>> Thanksgiving dinner leftovers. Sooo.... Before we came home we
>>>> picked up a small turkey breast (for David), some yams, and some
>>>> dried cranberries. I had all the othe ingredients at home.
>>>>
>>>> Tonight we had roasted turkey breast, cornbread dressing, mashed
>>>> potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, asparagus, and cranberry sauce. I
>>>> also baked another mincemeat pit this morning.
>>>>
>>>> Everything seems more "normal" now. :-)
>>>>
>>> That sounds delightful. I still need my turkey fix, but I decided
>>> I'd better have some fridge space first.
>>>
>>
>> It felt good to have that meal. I'm obsessive with my cornbread
>> dressing, and I'm the only one who eats it. We just returned from
>> taking David's son home, and I may a a small dish of dressing with a
>> bit of gravy and some cranberry sauce. I've got to stop eating like
>> this! :-)
>>
> I also should stop. But there are all those orts--and I STILL
> need a proper dinner.
>
> Have you posted you cornbread stuffing recipe? (I can search.
> For that matter, if you have, I probably have it squirreled away
> somewhere.)

No, I have never posted it. See below...

> I started doing a search on stuffing/dressing muffins. The
> technique seems promising, so I think I'll try that again. Some
> folks make balls instead of muffins, and I think that might be
> even better. BUT the muffins tended to fall apart (hint later
> acquired: let them cool a bit before you pry them from the pan).
> I think then the ideal approach may be to make them ahead as
> muffins, and then reheat on a baking sheet, or not touching each
> other or the sides of a pan, to crisp up the exterior.

I find the concept of stuffing balls or stuffing muffins totally
unappealing, but that has a lot to do with the way we serve our stuffing
on the plate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I've never had a written recipe for this, Jean, as I learned to make it
from my maternal grandmother and mother. It's one of those things I make
by the "that looks right" method. However, I'll try to give you a
breakdown of ingredients, amounts (some approximate), and directions. Note
these quantities make a 9 x 9 inch baking dish of dressing.

Cornbread
---------------
1 cup white stone ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 - 1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening

Preheat oven and a small cast iron skillet to 425°F. (The skillet I use is
approximately 7" diameter.)

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

When oven and skillet are hot, add fat to the skillet and allow to melt.

Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk into dry ingredients until smooth. The batter
should be thick but pourable.

Remove skillet from oven, pour melted fat into batter while whisking
briskly, then quickly pour batter into pan and return to oven.

Bake 30-35 minutes, or until deep golden brown and the middle is firm to
the touch.
Turn out immediately onto rack and cool to room temperature. Set aside.

Buttermilk Biscuits
--------------------------
You will need about four 3" homemade buttermilk biscuits. Most any good
recipe will do.

Note: When cornbread and biscuits are completely cooled, break both up
loosely and store in Ziploc bag overnight.

Cornbread Dressing
---------------------------
Cornbread and biscuits as prepared above
2-3 teaspoons poultry seasoning, or to taste
2-3 teaspoons rubbed sage, or to taste
2-3 teaspoons chopped parsley, or to taste (no stems)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon or less of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup sweet onion, 1/4 inch dice (approx)
1 cup celery (including leaves), cut in 1/4 inch slices, then roughly
chopped (approx)
1/2 unsalted butter
2/3 cup pecan halves, broken in quarters and toasted (approx)
2/3 cup dried cranberries (approx)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth (approx)
paprika

In a large mixing bowl, crumble cornbread and biscuit pieces until there
are no pieces larger than a pea. Note: Most will be in coarse crumbs.
Add poultry seasoning, sage, salt, pepper, cayenne, pecans and cranberries.
Mix thoroughly.

Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan. Add onion and celery and sweat,
covered, until both are fairly tender but not overly soft.

Add onion and celery mixture, along with the butter, to the dry mixture and
mix thoroughly.

Combine beaten egg with 1/2 cup of the broth. Pour over dressing and mix
until evenly moist. Add additional broth as necessary.

The dressing at this point should be quite moist but not too wet. The
right consistency here is a bit tricky until you've tried making it.

Turn mixture into lightly greased baking pan.

Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and the
middle is firm.

Dressing is cut into squares, then lightly broken apart with fork. Pass
the gravy!


--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

************************************************** ********

Wayne Boatwright