Oven Baked Bread Stuffing With Sausage Pecans And Apricots Food

PECAN AND APRICOT SOURDOUGH BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Butter an 11x14 inch baking dish, and set aside to bake the stuffing.
• Arrange sourdough bread pieces on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in preheated oven until crisp and dry, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the herbes de Provence and rubbed sage, then stir in the apricots. Turn off the heat, and allow the mixture to rest.
• Toss the toasted bread and pecans together in a large bowl. Stir in the celery mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Mix in the chicken broth, one cup at a time. Stir in the egg. Transfer the stuffing to the buttered baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is browned, 30 to 35 minutes.

BUTTERED PECAN, CRANBERRY AND APRICOT SAUSAGE STUFFING LOAF

Steps:

• For the topping: butter a 1kg (2 lb) loaf tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. Lay the four pecan halves and the bay leaves alternately in a line along the bottom of the tin. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5.
• For the stuffing: heat 50g of the butter for the stuffing in a large frying pan with the oil until the butter has melted. Add the onions and fry for 8-10 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in the ground coriander and the rest of the butter and fry for another 3-4 minutes to soften and to caramelise the onions a bit more. Tip in the nuts and stir them around until they start to look toasty.
• Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the breadcrumbs, sausage meat, apricots, cranberries, orange zest, sage leaves, egg and some salt and pepper to season. When combined, spoon the stuffing into the tin and pack it down lightly. Cover with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the paper and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes.
• Discard the paper, loosen the sides with a round-bladed knife and turn out the stuffing so the pecans and bay leaves are on the top. Slice to serve.

APRICOT-PECAN STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook leeks and onion over medium heat in butter, until tender but not brown.
• Stir in apples, pecans, apricots, and nutmeg.
• Cook about 4 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and cooked onion mixture.
• In a small bowl, combine half and half, egg, salt, and pepper.
• Add to bread mixture and stir gently to coat.
• Place in a greased 2 qt casserole and bake, covered, in a 375* oven for 20 minutes.
• Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.