Cornbread Dressing

This recipe is dedicated to my friend Jeremy . . .

I did  a little digging into the whole dressing verse stuffing issue.  What makes dressing, dressing?  How is it different from stuffing?  I found three primary explanations.  First, dressing is cooked outside the bird, stuffing inside.  Second, stuffing is cooked in the North and dressing in the South.  And finally, dressing is made with corn-based bread and stuffing with wheat-based bread.  So considering the fact that I did not cook the dish inside the turkey, that I live in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and that it is corn-based, by all definitions I've made dressing.

 

This recipe's cornbread base consists of HOME MADE cornbread.  Do not use store bought, it just won't be the same.  I used a recipe from epicurious, with a few tweaks.  First, I used a pastry blender, as opposed to a mixer, to combine the butter with the dry ingredients.  And second, I made sure my cornbread was VERY golden brown.  This created a thick crust which brings a nice toothsome texture to the dressing.  The cornbread needs to be baked a day ahead, to allow it to dry out.  Once the corn bread has cooled, cut the loafs in half lengthwise, and allow them to sit out over night.  

Cornbread Dressing

2 9x5x3 inch cornbread loafs cut into ½ - ¾ inch cubes allowed to dry-out over night

6 slices firm texture white bread cut into ½ - ¾ inch cubes allowed to dry-out over night

½ cup coarsely chopped parsley

1lb bacon
Rendered fat from 1lb of bacon or 1 cup of butter

2 large onions chopped
1 tablespoon dry sage

1½ teaspoons dry thyme

6 celery stalks chopped w/ leaves

3 cups chicken broth

3 large eggs beaten

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven and grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.  Combine the bread and parley in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  

Fry the bacon in batches till crispy and the drippings render out.  Place the bacon on paper towels to drain and cool.  Once cool, chop the bacon and add to the mixing bowl.  

Pour off half of the rendered bacon fat, and save.  Over medium heat warm the remaining fat, add the onions, and cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes.  Add the sage and thyme and cook 1 minute more.  

Add the onions, the remaining bacon fat, 2 cups of broth, the eggs, and salt and pepper to the mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.  Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking pan and drizzle with the remaining broth.  Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and back for another 20 minutes.  Serve hot.



Adapted from A Love Affair with Southern Cooking, published on epicurious.com, October 2008