Mommas chicken and dressing I grew up watching my mother make the best dressing I have ever tasted. I will attempt to capture the process here.
Cornbread for 9 x 11 rectangular cake pan I use 3 pans for the 18 quart roaster that I bake the dressing in. 4 cups self-rising corn meal mix ½ cup sugar 3 cups buttermilk 1 stick butter 3 eggs Melt butter in baking dish in 350-degree oven While preparing cornbread mixture. Combine corn meal mix, eggs, sugar and buttermilk in large mixing bowl and slightly mix with fork. Do not over-stir. Pour mixture into hot butter. Stir mixture to insure that butter is mixed into cornbread mixture. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden. I make the cornbread at least a day in advance and store in zip-lock bags to allow it to dry out. Chicken or hen Select a good fat one. Remove its insides and wash thoroughly. Boil for several hours in a 6-quart saucepan. I add about ½ jar of chopped chicken bouillon to add to the broths richness. This can be done in advance to insure that the broth is cooled prior to mixing the dressing. Remove hen from broth and allow the hen to cool. Carefully De-bone the hen. Here is a secret passed down from my grandmother: When de-boning the chicken, save a little of the skin. (. Pure the skin in about 1 cup of the Broth and refrigerate until dressing is ready to be mixed. Sautéed veggies I use 1 large onion and 1 bunch of celery but you may not need as much if not making a large batch. In medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter. Add coarsely chopped onions and celery and sauté on medium heat until veggies are tender. Add more butter if necessary. My mother always said that you could never have too much butter or eggs in dressing. This is also a step that can be done in advance. Rich broth Slightly preheat the hen broth and add a family-sized can of cream of chicken soup, 1 can water, canned broth, and add more bullion if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. I make sure I have a lot of broth just in case dressing becomes dry during the cooking process. Mixing the dressing In large pan, mix cornbread, veggie mixture, about 6 to 8 eggs (I prefer raw eggs), sage, salt and pepper to taste, 1 box stove top stuffing (include contents of flavor packet), and pureed hen skin mixture,. With cup, add enough cooled broth to cornbread mixture until broth is standing in the corners. It is important to use cooled broth mixture to prevent eggs from setting-up. Mix with hands slightly. Dont worry about the small chunks of cornbread. They will become smaller as more broth or seasoning is added. Suggestion: Do not stir excessively as this will make the dressing mushier. Add enough broth to make a custard-like consistency.. I like chicken in my dressing so I add some of the cooked pulled hen to the baking dish prior to baking. Bake the dressing on 350 in an uncovered baking dish until edges are brown and centeris moist but thickened. I would suggest doing a taste test after dressing is pretty warm to make sure that texture is not too dry. If it is too dry, add more of the broth in small amounts and mix it in with a spoon and continue to bake. this may have to be done several times, depending on the dryness of the cornbread and the amount of dressing being prepared. My mother makes a large pan and freezes the unbaked dressing in meal-size covered cooking dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas to avoid having to prepare dressing twice in one holiday season. -----Original Message----- From: Cookinginthedark [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 5:21 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [CnD] Cornbread dressing Don't cry too hard for me, but I have lost my recipe for "Cornbread dressing," so would someone kindly post a good one for me? Thanks a lot. Kerry _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
