savory bread pudding for Thanksgiving

When I cook a turkey, I usually stuff it with herbs and a few chunks of citrus, rather than a bread or rice mixture.  I know, though, that a good dressing is an essential part of the Thanksgiving table, and my favorite part of a stuffing, or dressing, is the crispy part.  Baking it in a pan yields more crispy crust than stuffing it into the bird, and it is also safer, since it will reach a safe temperature independent of the bird.  So I consider the dressing a side dish, and cook it on its own.  This recipe is an especially rich and savory version of traditional dressing, which is lovely served with simple reduced gravy, made with the defatted pan drippings, a dollop of wine, and a bit of corn or potato starch to thicken. 

Toasting pecan pieces is as simple as putting the chopped pecans into a dry skillet over medium heat, and stirring them until they begin to brown and give off a warm fragrance.  They will go from toasted to burned in a few seconds, so as soon as they are toasty and fragrant, take them off of the heat and toss them into a cool bowl.  I like to toast more pecans than I need, toss the remainder in a bag, and put them in the freezer.  Then you will have toasted pecans on hand to add to dressings, salads, and desserts.  Don't think toasting makes a difference?  Taste an untoasted pecan, then a toasted one.  The flavor really develops with toasting.

If you have whole pecans, toast before chopping --

that way you have less chance of burning the pieces

Serves 8:

1 loaf challah Bread, very lightly toasted and cubed

5 TBLS butter

3 shallots, roughly chopped, or one small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup Madeira or Brandy

1 cup mixed wild mushrooms, hydrated if dried, then drained and squeezed dry.

4 cups half and half

4 eggs

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 TBS fresh thyme, or 1 TBS dried

2 TBS chopped chives, optional

6 leaves fresh sage, chopped, or 1 TBS dried

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix herbs, bread cubes, and pecan pieces in a bowl and set aside

Place two TBS butter in a sauté pan over low heat.  When butter foams, add shallots and, cook, stirring, until they are golden.  Add garlic, and continue cooking, until garlic is softened.  Add mushrooms, and sauté until tender.  Add Madeira or brandy, and increase the heat, cooking until liquid is reduced to syrup.  Turn off heat, add remaining butter, and swirl to melt.  While vegetables are sautéing, break the eggs into a bowl and whisk to combine.  Add half and half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and whisk to combine.  Add the vegetable mixture to bread cubes, and toss to combine.  Pour in the egg mixture, and stir thoroughly.  Refrigerate for about two hours, until bread has absorbed all of the liquid mixture.  Place in a well buttered casserole to bake.

 the dressing is a rich, crispy, creamy addition to

the holiday table

The dressing can be made a day ahead, and refrigerated, covered with foil.  Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, and bake for another 15 minutes or so, until the top is brown and crispy.  The oven temp is not terribly important.  Use the temperature recommended for whatever else you have in the oven at the same time.  Anything between about 325 and 425 will work.  Just adjust your cooking times a little for ovens at higher temperatures.