Recipe: Georgia Pecan Cornbread Dressing

Georgia Pecan Cornbread Dressing

CORN BREAD:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted and cooled

DRESSING:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups finely chopped onion
1-1/2 cups finely chopped celery
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup minced parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped Georgia pecans
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock, or as needed to moisten

FOR THE CORN BREAD:
Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg and butter and stir into cornmeal mixture until just combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, or until corn bread tests done. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely. This can be done two days ahead. Keep cornbread well wrapped.

FOR THE DRESSING:
Reduce oven to 325F.

Into a shallow baking pan, crumble cornbread into coarse pieces. Bake 30 minutes, or until it is dry and golden. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large frying pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onions, celery and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in green onion, parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper and pecans. Fold onion mixture into cooled dried cornbread. Add lightly beaten egg and enough stock to pull stuffing together. It should be soft enough to be moist but not so runny as to create a mess when stuffing the turkey. Cool stuffing completely before using to stuff a 12- to 14-pound turkey.

Note: Stuffing can be baked separately. You may want to drizzle some melted butter on top. Bake, covered, at 325 F for 30 minutes, then bake, uncovered, 30 minutes longer.

Makes enough to stuff a 12- to 14-pound turkey or serve 10-12 in a casserole
Source: Georgia Pecan Commission