Cook_s_Country_-_October_2019

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Louisiana-Style

Cornbread Dressing

Meet your new favorite Thanksgiving side dish. by Matthew Fairman

SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

DRESSING has a crisp, buttery top

and a moist, almost creamy interior.

My wife’s family in Louisiana makes

one studded with smoky andouille

sausage and bacon; it balances a

Cajun-style spicy kick with sweet corn

fl avor. I set out to test my way to a

no-fuss recipe for this fl avorful side.

To start, I knew that store-bought

cornbread was out. Too inconsistent.

Instead, I made my own, combining

equal parts cornmeal and fl our, a touch

of sugar, melted butter, eggs, and milk.

While some Southerners might scoff

at the inclusion of fl our, it adds a need-

ed sturdiness to cornbread dressing.

Some dressing recipes call for letting

the cornbread go stale for the best

results, but side-by-side tests showed

that staling wasn’t necessary.

To build a rich Louisiana fl avor

profi le, I diced up a big link of bold

andouille sausage and four slices of

bacon. I added the meat to a skillet,

along with an ample amount of onion,

celery, and green bell pepper. Once the

vegetables had softened, I bloomed a

tablespoon of Creole seasoning in the

rendered pork fat.

As soon as my cornbread was ready,

I turned it out onto a baking sheet

and broke it up with two forks. I then

tossed it with the sausage and veg-

etables, fresh parsley, 3 cups of savory

chicken broth, 1 cup of milk, and three

beaten eggs. This ratio of milk and

eggs to broth was just right to ensure

a cohesive, set dressing that didn’t

become soggy. I put everything back

into the casserole dish I used to bake

my cornbread and, just before baking,

I brushed the top with melted butter

and used a spatula to create ridges on

the surface. This resulted in a buttery,

craggy top that added toasty fl avor and

crunchy texture. Delicious.

LOUISIANA-STYLE

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Serves 10 to 12

We developed this recipe using Quaker

Yellow Cornmeal.

CORNBREAD

1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose fl our

1½ cups (7½ ounces) cornmeal

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

1¾ cups whole milk

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter,

melted

DRESSING

2 tablespoons unsalted butter,

plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter,

melted

12 ounces andouille sausage,

cut into ¼-inch pieces

2 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, stemmed,

seeded, and chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

4 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Original

Creole Seasoning

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon pepper

1. FOR THE CORNBREAD: Adjust
   oven rack to middle position and heat
   oven to 425 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch
   baking dish with vegetable oil spray.


2. Whisk fl our, cornmeal, sugar, bak-
   ing powder, and salt together in large
   bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, and melted
   butter together in second bowl. Whisk
   milk mixture into fl our mixture until
   just combined. Transfer batter to
   prepared dish. Bake until cornbread is
   golden brown and toothpick inserted
   in center comes out clean, about
   20 minutes.


3. FOR THE DRESSING: While
   cornbread bakes, melt 2 tablespoons
   butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over
   medium-high heat. Add andouille,
   onions, bell peppers, celery, and bacon
   to skillet and cook until vegetables are
   softened, about 8 minutes. Add Creole
   seasoning and garlic and cook until

fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer

sausage mixture to large bowl.

4. Turn out hot cornbread onto
   rimmed baking sheet and break into
   small pieces with two forks. (Cooled,
   crumbled cornbread can be transferred
   to zipper-lock bag and stored at room
   temperature for up to 24 hours.)


5. Transfer crumbled cornbread to
   bowl with sausage mixture. Add broth,
   milk, eggs, parsley, and pepper and
   stir to combine. Transfer dressing to
   now-empty dish and spread into even
   layer (do not pack down). Using side
   of rubber spatula or wooden spoon,
   create ridges about ½ inch apart on top
   of dressing.


6. Brush top of dressing with remaining
   4 tablespoons melted butter. Bake until
   browned and crisped on top and heated
   through, about 35 minutes. Let cool for
   10 minutes and serve.

At end of step 5, let dressing cool

completely (if using hot cornbread).

Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and

refrigerate for up to 24 hours or wrap

in additional layer of aluminum foil and

freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw

overnight in refrigerator if frozen. Pro-

ceed with step 6, extending baking time

by 15 minutes and covering with foil for

fi nal 10 minutes of cooking if top begins

to get too dark.

SAUSAGE-HERB

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Substitute 1 pound sweet Italian sau-

sage, casings removed, for andouille and

bacon, breaking up sausage in skillet

with wooden spoon. Substitute poultry

seasoning for Creole seasoning. Add

1 teaspoon table salt and 1 teaspoon

cayenne pepper with poultry seasoning.

For a craggy top with extra crunch, we create ridges with a spatula before baking.

The Missing Link

Our favorite andouille sausage is easily

mail-ordered from Louisiana.

TO MAKE AHEAD