Roasted Garlic and Apple Dressing Recipe

I shared this dressing recipe with my participants at In Good Taste Cooking School in November 2012. “Thanksgiving for Two” was the class, and it was a blast. The response was very positive, so I’m sharing this recipe with you all. It’s never too late to try a different dressing recipe – and this one is simple enough to please picky eaters, yet complex enough to satisfy gourmet-craving epicureans. If you have vegetarian guests, simply make the whole batch with veggie stock and bake some on the side so that it is meat-free. For vegans, choose a bread with no egg, butter, or dairy and substitute the butter in the recipe for coconut oil-also bump up the salt a bit too.

The type of bread you choose will have an impact on the flavor. For example, sour dough will give the dressing a leading tang while cornbread will make it taste more “down home.” French bread is my personal favorite, yielding a dense dressing with a scant bit of sweetness. Whatever bread you choose, go with one with the fewest junk ingredients – or hit a local bakery (be considerate- order a few days ahead) for the best stuff.

Almost every dressing recipe will tell you to use stale bread – but what they don’t tell you is that you can make fresh bread stale by simply cutting it up the day before and expediting the process. Spread it out on a sheet pan and let it set out overnight. Boom. Stale bread.

Serves 4-6
Double if you intend to put a bird on it…I mean stuff it in a bird… (sorry… irresitable Portlandia reference)

1. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
2. Toss in the celery, carrot, and shallot. Continue cooking until the shallot turns translucent. Allow the vegetables to brown slightly. If you see no color developing after three minutes, adjust the heat up a notch or two.
3. When the color and translucency have developed, add in the apple, hazelnut, roasted garlic, and herbs. Saute for a couple of minutes until heady aromas rise from the pan.
4. Deglaze with the white wine, and pull the pan from the heat.
5. Fold into the cubed bread, gently folding to coat every surface of bread in the buttery, garlicky goodness.
6. Place the dressing in a buttered 9×9 pan.  Or if desired, fill the cavity of a turkey with the dressing and bake any extra on the side.
7. After the turkey is roasted for about 45 minutes, drain off some of the drippings and sprinkle them over the stuffing. Also sprinkle the quarter cup of water over the bread at this time.
8. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
9. Remove the foil cover and bake for another 5-10, or until the top layer of bread crisps slightly. Cool for a few minutes before service.

*To make roasted garlic, simply rub an entire head with olive oil, wrapped loosely in foil, and roast at 325° for two hours.

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