Roasted Chestnut Fig And Cornbread Stuffing Food

SAVORY CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet, a heavy 2-quart baking dish or a heavy 9-inch square baking pan in the oven while you prepare the batter.
• Place the cornmeal in a bowl, and sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the mixture with a spoon or whisk to amalgamate. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt (or buttermilk), milk and honey. Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the liquid mixture. Do not overwork the batter.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and add the butter to the pan. Swirl the pan so that the butter melts quickly before it gets too brown, then quickly whisk the butter into the batter. Brush the sides of the pan with any butter remaining in the pan.
• Quickly scrape all of the batter into the hot pan, and place in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will be quite brown on the edges. Allow the bread to cool in the pan, or serve warm.
• Heat the olive oil (or oil and butter) over medium heat in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the celery. Cook together for another few minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Combine well. Taste and adjust salt. Moisten as desired with milk.
• Stuff the cavity of the turkey, or transfer to a buttered or oiled 2-quart baking dish. Dot with butter. Cover with aluminum foil, and heat through in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes.

CORN BREAD AND CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread on large baking sheet. Bake until dry but not firm, about 25 minutes. Cool. Coarsely crumble into very large bowl. Maintain oven temperature.
• Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add to corn bread. Mix in 2 1/4 cups broth and herbs. Stir in chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in egg. Add up to 1/2 cup more broth if stuffing seems dry.
• Transfer to prepared dish. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top begins to brown, about 30 minutes longer.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Add sage and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornbread pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss until it's well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together and stuff the cavity of the turkey. You could also spoon it into a buttered baking dish and put it in the oven along with the turkey. Bake until hot and crusty on top, about 30 minutes.

FIG-GLAZED ROAST TURKEY WITH CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Begin by re-hydrating the figs. In a large mixing bowl combine the figs, honey, lemon juice; cover with the warm water. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 to 25 minutes until the figs are tender and soft. Pour off the liquid and reserve for the glaze.
• Meanwhile, heat a little extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat and gently saute the onions with rosemary. Add the sweet Italian sausage and continue to saute until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. When done, scrape it all into the bowl with the figs, Add the cornbread pieces and season well with salt and pepper. Give it a good toss until it's well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and 1/2 cup stock, and pour that over the cornbread. (Add up to 1/2 cup more stock if the stuffing is dry. ) Stir the stuffing together and set it aside while you work on the turkey.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and using 1 stick of butter, massage it onto the breast meat. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the bird with the cornbread stuffing and truss it (or just cross the legs over one another and tie with a piece of kitchen twine). Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, and place in the oven.
• In a small saucepan set the fig liquid over medium heat and bring to a simmer to reduce, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar; simmer, cook until syrupy. Cut up the remaining stick of butter and whisk it into the balsamic mixture. Use the glaze to baste the turkey.
• Roast the turkey for 2 hours. About 20 minutes before the turkey in done, baste the turkey with the fig glaze, coating it well. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). If the legs or breast brown too quickly during roasting, cover them with foil. Transfer turkey to a cutting board, loosely covered with foil to rest for up to 30 minutes before carving.

HOLIDAY HENS WITH FIG GLAZE AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Begin by re-hydrating the figs. In a large mixing bowl add the figs, honey, lemon juice and cover with warm water. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 to 25 minutes until the figs are tender and soft. Strain the figs and reserve the liquid - as this will be the base for the glaze.
• To make the stuffing, heat a little extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat and gently saute the onions with rosemary. Add the sweet Italian sausage and continue to saute until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. When done, scrape it all into a large mixing bowl, add the cornbread pieces and figs and season well with salt and pepper. Give it a good toss until it's well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together and set it aside while you work on the hens.
• Wash and clean the birds. Season the cavities with salt and pepper and fill with stuffing. Dot the top of each bird with butter and season with salt and pepper. Lay out on a roasting tray and pop into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. While they are roasting, set the fig liquid over medium-high heat and add balsamic and butter. Reduce until syrupy and baste the birds with 10 minutes to go. When done, an instant-read thermometer should registers 160 degrees F in the thickest part of the thigh. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

CHESTNUT, ONION AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Prepare cornbread ahead of time from Perfect Cornbread Recipe#96862, or your own.
• Cut cornbread into 1/2" cubes.
• In 2 large shallow baking pans, bake in the middle of the oven until just dry, about 20 minutes.
• Using only white and pale green parts of the leeks, halve them lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2" thick pieces.
• In a large heavy skillet cook red onions, shallots, leeks, celery and herbs with salt and pepper to taste, in butter over moderate heat; stirring, until onion mixture is golden brown and softened-- about 25 minutes.
• If using canned chestnuts, rinse and drain.
• In a saucepan simmer vacuum-packed or canned chestnuts in 2 cups of chicken broth for 15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, toss together bread, onions, chestnut mixture and remaining 1 1/2 cups of broth, with salt and pepper to taste, and let cool completely.
• (Stuffing may be made ahead up to 1 day before and chilled, covered-- bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding).
• To cook all or part of stuffing outside of poultry: In a shallow baking dish bake stuffing in preheated 325F oven 45 minutes.
• For moist stuffing, bake covered entire time; for less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top, uncover halfway through baking time.
• Enjoy!

ROASTED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cut a 1/2 inch crisscross on the flat side of each nut. Be sure to cut through the shell to prevent the nut from exploding.
• Place the nuts in a shallow baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool and peel off the shell.
• Place nuts in a skillet with butter and saute over high heat until the butter is melted and the chestnuts are well coated. Place skillet in oven and roast until they are golden on top. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon.

SAUSAGE, CHESTNUT AND FIG STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sauté sausage in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and cooked through, breaking into small pieces with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add chopped shallots and celery to skillet and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in figs, 1/2 cup chicken broth, brandy and thyme and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until figs are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Mix 4 cups breadcrumbs, chestnuts and sausage mixture in large bowl. Stir in remaining § cup chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake stuffing 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake stuffing until top begins to brown, about 10 minutes longer.