Stuffing vs.Dressing

My mom used to make both. Both were good, , although the baked dressing would get pretty dry and crisp on top, which isn't my cup o' tea.

For years, I stuffed the turkey. But I really hated the wads of stuffing that showed up in the turkey soup the next day.

For the past few years, I've used James Beard's recipe. WOW! Is that stuff good! Buttery, and there are many variations given in the recipe directions. First year I tried it, I made it with tarragon. Crash perfers sage. :( (It's good anyway) We're going to add chopped pecans to this year's batch. I make this as a dressing, not as a stuffing. I finally figured out that I could put foil over the top, so it wouldn't dry out. Duh!

So, what do the rest of you do with the bread stuff you make for Thanksgiving? (I'll just plug my ears when people start talking about corn bread or oysters) ;)

Carol (recipe follows)

* Exported from MasterCook *

James Beard's Basic Bread Stuffing

Recipe By :James Beard Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : side dishes Thanksgiving

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup butter -- (2 sticks) 1 cup finely chopped shallots, onions, or spring onions 8 cups fresh bread crumbs -- with crusts 1 teaspoon dried tarragon -- moistened with .... 1 tablespoon white wine -- for one hour 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon salt -- or to taste 1 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Place the butter, shallots or onions in a saucepan, and allow the butter to melt over low heat. Do not sautŽ the shallots. Combine with the crumbs and other ingredients and toss lightly. Add more melted butter if needed, and taste for seasoning. Stuff the bird lightly just before roasting.

Herb Variations:

Instead of tarragon you can use any of the following herbs to taste. (It is better not to mix herbs, except for the addition of parsley, but mix if you must.)

1. About 1 1-2 teaspoons dried thyme, soaked in a little white wine for an hour. 2. Sage. Use with discretion, or it smothers all other flavors. 3. Summer savory. This has a delicious flavor for turkey and is less known than most herbs. 4. Basil. The fresh is delicious and superb in the stuffing of a spitted bird. If fresh is not available, use about 2 teaspoons of dried basil, soaked in white wine beforehand.

Another way to give the flavor of fresh basil to your dressing is by adding pesto, the Italian sauce normally used with pasta. Fortunately, it freezes rather well, so pesto can be made when fresh basil is in the market or in your herb garden and it is possible to have it with your Thanksgiving or Christmas bird. Add about 3 tablespoons of pesto or more to the basic bread stuffing.

Additives for Basic Bread Stuffing:

You will have to reduce the amount of crumbs, depending upon the quanbreastyof additive.

1. 1 1-2 to 2 cups coarsely broken cooked chestnuts (These may be purchased in tins). 2. 1 cup or more toasted salted filberts. 3. 1 cup or more toasted unblanched almonds. 4. 1 cup or more salted pecan halves. 5. 1 1-2 to 2 cups toasted walnut halves. 6. 2 cups finely diced celery. This makes a delicious change in the basic stuffing and is also good in goose. 7. 1 1-2 cups of finely diced fennel bulb. Omit any other herb save parsley. 8. A head of finely shredded Boston lettuce. Added to the basic stuffing at the last minute, this is surprisingly good. You may find you need additional salt. 9. Giblets. Chop the gizzard and heart very fine; reserve the liver. SautŽ the gizzard and heart with the onions just enough to color them, then mix with the rest of the ingredients. Use the liver in the sauce later. SautŽ it lightly in butter and chop exceedingly fine before adding.

Makes enough for a 10-pound bird.

Cuisine: "American" Source:

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NOTES : The rule for figuring out the proper amount of stuffing is easy to remember -- approximately 1 cup per pound of bird. This works very well unless you want stuffing for only one meal, in which case this quanbreasty is excessive. So, starting from the maximum, reduce the among of stuffing to suit your needs.