Cran-Apple Dressing

Cran-Apple Dressing isn’t your run-of-mill Cornbread Dressing. It’s packed with the flavors of cornbread, white bread, cranberries, apples, celery, onions, rich chicken broth, and herbs. This dressing is a fun version of grandma’s that even the children will enjoy for Sunday dinner or the holiday.

The holidays are coming, and so are the dressing and stuffing recipes. This is the time of year for making sure your cornbread dressing stands out in the crowd of dressing/stuffings. This recipe is one that I enjoy serving during the fall for Sunday dinners or Thanksgiving.

 

Homemade dressing is simple and easy to make. However, you can do a few things that could ruin a perfect Holiday dressing. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when dressing from scratch. Below are three great tips to keep you from ruining your dressing.

 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DRESSING AND STUFFING?

According to most Chefs, cookbooks, and dictionaries, stuffing is a mixture used to stuff another food, traditionally poultry, before cooking. In contrast, dressing is cooked in a pan outside the turkey cavity.

 

 

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CRAN-APPLE DRESSING

• Don’t use fresh cornbread for cornbread dressing. The crumbled or cubed cornbread should feel slightly dry to the touch. The cubes shouldn’t be too firm or feel like salad croutons or pieces of gravel. The point of stale bread is to ensure that it doesn’t dissolve and lose all texture in the broth.

• Use the Right Amount of Liquid. For Cornbread dressing on the drier side, add enough warm broth to the uncooked dressing mixture to moisten the ingredients, but not to the point of liquid in the bottom of the casserole dish. If you prefer moist dressing, add more hot broth in small amounts.

• Use Enough butter. Cornbread Dressing shouldn’t be greasy, but if it doesn’t have enough butter, it can taste dry no matter the amount of liquid used in the recipe.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR CRAN-APPLE DRESSING

• Six cups dried Cornbread cubes.
• Four cups dried White bread cubes.
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced 
• Two cups diced celery
• One and 1/3 cups chopped yellow onion.
• Kosher Salt to your taste.
• Two large gala apples, cored and chopped.
• One cup of dried cranberries
• Three Tablespoons of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided.
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• Two cups of low-sodium chicken broth, more if needed.
• Homemade gravy or quality store brand (optional)

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE CRAN-APPLE DRESSING

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Transfer the dried bread cubes to two baking sheets and spread them into an even layer. 
2.  Rotate the baking sheets to opposite racks halfway through baking, about 30 minutes. 
3. Remove the one baking rack from the oven and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
4. Melt the unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion, season lightly with Kosher salt, and saute until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. 
5. Add the Gala apples and saute until they break down and soften slightly about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat, then toss in cranberries,  parsley, thyme, and dried sage.
6. Pour dried bread cubes into an extra-large mixing bowl. Pour the apple mixture over bread cubes, season lightly with kosher salt to taste, then evenly pour One cup of the chicken broth and combine the dressing mixture. 
7. Slowly pour more broth as needed until the bread is thoroughly moistened.
8. Spray a 13 by 8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour the dressing mixture into the baking dish and gently spread it.
9. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until warmed through and the top is golden brown, about 15 longer. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

 

 

 

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