eclaire (what’s in a) name?

why is stuffing relegated to thanksgiving? i absolutely love stuffing – delicious bread coated in sage, celery, and (in this case at least), lots of other yummy ingredients – but i usually only make it on the fourth thursday in november.

to be honest with you, i realized why i rarely make stuffing during the course of making this recipe. it’s kind of time consuming. and only part of a meal, so you have to figure out what else to serve with it.

but lengthy process and entree necessities aside, this is one fabulous stuffing recipe. i loved that it incorporates the sweetness of maple syrup along with the spiciness of red pepper flakes. the smell of fresh sage, parsley, and celery are also there, reminding you that it’s not too big of a deviation from the classic recipe. and it made the whole house smell amazing for days after we made it (most likely because we were still eating it!). so will i be making this stuffing for t-day? absolutely! will i make it again before thanksgiving ‘10? probably not, unless i have some long winter weekends at home to fill, or family members make a special request.

what are the rest of you eating for thanksgiving? can you believe it’s only a few weeks away? is this stuffing going to make your menu?

cherry, almond, and apple stuffing

adapted from vegetarian times
yields 10 generous side dish servings

• 6c whole wheat bread cubes
• 6c oat bread cubes
• 3/4c almonds, chopped
• 5T olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 3T fresh sage, chopped
• 3T fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2t red pepper flakes
• 1/2t pepper
• 1/2t ground nutmeg
• 2T maple syrup
• 2T balsamic vinegar
• 1/2c dried cherries
• 3 vegetable broth
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1. preheat oven to 225º
2. spread the 12c of bread cubes out on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes to dry them out
3. while the bread is baking, grease a 13×9″ baking dish
4. heat a large saute pan on the stove, and toast the almonds in the pan for 5-10 minutes until just starting to turn darker in color
5. dump the almonds into the greased baking dish, wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and pour the olive oil into the pan
6. saute the onion in the oil 5 minutes, then add celery and saute for another 3 minutes
7. add apples, sage, parsley, red pepper, black pepper, and nutmeg, then allow to cook 5 more minutes
8. add the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar to the pan, give it a good stir, then turn off the heat
9. once the bread is done, increase the oven temp to 350º, and place the bread into the greased backing dish with the almonds
10. add the cherries and the apple/celery/onion mixture and stir well
11. pour the broth over the top, then cover with aluminum foil and cook for 40 minutes
12. enjoy!