Southern-style dressing (for turkey) using cornbread?

E

erininny

Well-known member
One of my lifelong friends from college will be staying with us over Thanksgiving. She vowed to make her grandmother's (of South Carolina) dressing with cornbread. That was the only thing she requested. Not trusting me with the task--as I am a Southwesterner--she additionally swore she would pack her suitcase with some.

She's also a professor, and working on her second book. So: cornbread situation all f@#$@ed up. And is now too busy to send the recipe.

What to doooooooooo, friends?! Does anyone have a recipe for this? Or do I just wing it and hope for the best? (Which I can do, but it's hard for me to see cornbread and not throw a green chile at it.)

Many thanks.

 
Yeah, I agree with that!! That recipe of Paula's is really more of a pudding it would

seem--lots of eggs and broth for a "usual" amount of breads. I used to make cornbread dressing when DH's family was with us 'cause that was what they had while our (my) tradition was stuffing in the bird--which we now prefer.
However this year I got interested in some recipes for cornbread dressing baked in a bundt pan and I'm going to do that. It uses some eggs (only 2 for the recipe) and not so much liquid but enough to make the mixture "mushy". Then it just sort of "sets up" and you still have the cornbread "feel" in the serving.
I would look at other recipes--I'll send a link to the one I plan to use. OH, and of course, we ARE going to have stuffing IN the turkey (all bread, no sausage or other stuff), AND DSIL is bringing his bread and sausage "stuff puppies" to deep fry. OUT of sight good.

Here is the basic recipe I am going to use--and looking at it, there IS a southwestern version!! Maybe you can "educate" your busy friend!
In my experience eating cornbread dressing around the Carolinas, this looks much more like the "texture" than what I at least "think" Paula's would come out. Just IMO.
http://www.aspicyperspective.com/stuffing-bundt-pan/

 
Regarding the Paula Deen recipe, my mom makes and crumbles up her cornbread

and a small number of pieces of plain white bread at least a day or two ahead of time and then leaves them uncovered on a tray to dry out. Hers texture-wise is probably close to Paula's-like a less moist bread pudding.

My guess is that if you friend wants traditional southern, she does not want pecans, bacon or shallots in it.

Ours is just cornbread, a small amount of white bread, with onions and celery (add some leaves) that have been sauteed in a LOT of butter (whole stick at least), seasoning, eggs and broth.

 
Erin this is my favorite cornbread dressing recipe. Very yummy.

Cornbread Sausage Dressing

1 loaf of Sally Lunn
1 12-oz. package sage breakfast sausage
1/4 lb. butter
1 cup each of:
chopped celery
chopped onion
chopped parsley
1/2 cup each of:
whole fresh cranberries
golden raisins
diced tart apple
chopped pecans
2 tsp each of dried thyme and sage
1 cup rich stock
3 eggs
salt and pepper


350F oven.
Break Sally Lunn into 1-inch chunks and arrange on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until toasted, stirring every 10 minutes to brown evenly. Remove from oven to cool to room temperature and place in large mixing bowl.

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over moderately high heat until browned, breaking it up with a fork as it browns. Remove with slotted spoon and add to cornbread. Add butter to skillet and saute celery and onion until soft, stir in herbs, scrape all over the cornbread (including fat).

Sprinkle the apple, cranberries, raisins, and pecans. Break the eggs over the whole, pour on the cooled stock, and toss to coat and break up the eggs. Add more stock if mixture is too dry or if you prefer a more bread pudding like dressing texture.

Pour into greased baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for an 30 minutes. Uncover, baste with turkey drippings, and bake for another 20-30 minutes until nicely browned.


Kentucky Sally Lunn

1 cup flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
3 cups cornmeal
2 T. lard or bacon drippings
3 eggs
3 c. buttermilk
1 package of yeast

Heat the milk to lukewarm and stir in the yeast. Set aside to proof.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, and cornmeal into large mixing bowl, preferably pre-warmed ceramic. Add the cornmeal grits from the sifter back into the bowl if any remain. Cut the lard into the flour. Add the beaten eggs and milk. Beat together to form a moderately stiff batter. Pour the batter into well greased 8" square baking pan. Let stand at room temerature to rise for 30-45 minutes. Bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes.

 
Oh--this is how I usually make it, but with those little bread cubes. So I'm not too far off!

Good to know! smileys/smile.gif

 
Thank God you included the recipe for Sally Lunn; my first Q was going to be where I could find that

in New York. smileys/wink.gif)))

 
It is quite yummy! I love using Sally Lunn in the Cornbread Dressing...

and it makes a great cornbread salad as well.

I made a panzenella with it last summer using ripe beefsteaks, fresh basil, red onions, garlic, and a really nice virgin olive oil and it was heavenly.

 
Also: Old Fashioned Salt-Rising. Have you made that one?

That bread was very popular here in the Cincinnati region when I was growing up and it was available from the commercial bakeries up until the 70's, and then it just disappeared from all but a few specialty bakeries.

It is a labor of love to grow a healthy bacteria salt culture thriving for the leaven, but oh, the finished results are divine. I'm planning to make a big batch early next month to put in the freezer for the Christmas holidays for sandwiches.

 
I've made Sally Lunn all my life like my mom makes, but it has no cornmeal

Mine is baked in a tube pan and rich, open crunb, kind of like sponge cake, but not sweet. It makes the most divine toast in the world.

 
I was terribly unwhelmed with the Sally Lunn bun in Bath, England from the *original*

Sally Lunn shop.

I had the good luck to grow up with a mom who made great sweetish yeast bread. This tourist version paled in comparison.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top