I need a really good cornbread dressing to impress my Inlaws from down south.?!
I need a really good cornbread dressing to impress my Inlaws from down south.?
Answers:
Hi !!!
I'm from Texas and cornbread dressing is really an easy dish to prepare and is dearly loved by most everybody...I know I can't seem to get enough of it...ENJOY!!!
Cornbread Dressing
(American-Southern dressing)
Yield: 8-10 servings
INGREDIENTS:
* Southern cornbread crumbled 1 recipe, doubled
Butter or oil 2-3 Tbsp
Onion chopped 1 each
Celery chopped 2 stalks
Sage crumbled 1 Tbsp
Chicken or turkey stock 2 cups
*6-8 hard-boiled eggs (sliced)
Salt & pepper to taste
Eggs beaten 2-3 each
METHOD
Basic Steps: Crumble → Sauté → Mix → Bake
Make a double batch of Southern cornbread, or use your own recipe. Once the cornbread has cooled completely, break it into pieces about the size of a walnut with your hands. Place the pieces and all the crumbs in a large bowl.
Heat the butter or oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the onions and celery until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add to the bowl with the cornbread.
Preheat oven to 350°. Crumble the sage over the cornbread and stir in the chicken broth to moisten.
* Add the hard-boiled eggs.
Add salt and pepper and taste for seasoning.
Stir in the beaten eggs. The stuffing should now be moist but not soggy. If it seems too dry, stir in a little more stock. If it is too wet, stir in some breadcrumbs.
Spread the stuffing in a buttered baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes until the stuffing is heated through and browned on the top. Serve with poultry.
*I PERSONALLY DON'T CARE FOR THE VARIATIONS...I LIKE MINE THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY, AS ABOVE...
VARIATIONS
Use half cornbread and half regular cubed bread for a lighter stuffing if you like.
Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Chop up turkey or chicken giblets and sauté with the onions and celery.
Replace some of the stock with cream or half and half.
This recipe can also be used to stuff a bird, at which time it becomes stuffing instead of dressing.
NOTES
Cornbread dressing is the only kind of dressing there is for many Southerners. It's a favorite for Thanksgiving. This recipe is the foundation for many variations. Each cook has his or her favorite version.
-------------AND FOR THE CORNBREAD...
* Southern Cornbread
(American-Southern)
Yield: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Cornmeal, preferably white 1 3/4 cup
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1 tsp
Sugar (opt.) 1 Tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Eggs beaten 2 each
Buttermilk 2 cups
Butter or bacon fat 2 Tbsp
METHOD
Place a cast-iron skillet into the oven and preheat oven to 450o. Mix dry ingredients together well in a large bowl.
Beat eggs and buttermilk together. Stir into dry ingredients just until the whole mass comes together. Do not overmix; a few dry spots are fine.
Remove the cast-iron skillet, add the butter or fat and distribute it evenly around the bottom. Pour batter into the skillet and smooth out.
Place skillet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Turn cornbread out onto serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
VARIATIONS
Northern Cornbread: Reduce oven heat to 425o. Instead of using all cornmeal, use 1 cup of cornmeal and 3/4 cup of flour. Yellow cornmeal is preferred. Increase baking powder to 2 t.
If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or 2 Tbsp yogurt to 2 cups of milk. Let set 10-15 minutes before using.
Possible additions: minced jalape?o, fresh corn, shredded cheese, minced herbs, pork cracklings, bacon bits. Stir any addition into the wet ingredients.
The batter can also be poured into a cast-iron cornbread stick mold. Reduce baking time to 10-15 minutes. Or try pouring into greased muffin tins.
Brush the top crust with honey mixed with a little water after the cornbread comes out of the oven if you like.
NOTES
Southern cornbread is a drier, crunchier cornbread than its more cake-like Northern counterpart. It is best eaten same day it is baked. Drier leftovers can be used to make cornbread dressing.