Thursday, November 26, 2015

Stuffing stuffed in a bundt pan - crazy!


Oh yeah, Thanksgiving stuffing just broke the mold....taking it to a new level. I always make up my own little recipe. Here is what I did this year. 

Ingredients:
- tube of Jimmy Dean sage flavored sausage
- two Vidalia onions
- one bulb of fennel
- one small container white mushrooms
- two apples (mine were Pink Lady apples from Mercier Orchards)
- 2 bags of the traditional bread stuffing cubes (used 1 bag and half the other bag)
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter
- 2 eggs
- fresh thyme leaves
- salt and pepper
- Pam
- pretty bundt pan. Mine is from Williams Sonoma

Here's whatcha do:

- preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
- sauté the sausage over high heat until nice and dark brown and then set aside to drain on paper towels
-chop your fennel bulb (don't use the stems just the round bulb) into thin slices and your two onions
- sauté the onions and fennel with about 1/2 a stick of butter in medium low until nice and caramelized. Add kosher salt as needed.  Set that aside. 
- chop your mushrooms, apples (don't use skin or core) and celery into nice small slices/dices
- sauté the mushrooms, celery and apples in about 1/2 stick of butter until nice and soft. Add kosher salt as needed. 
- in a big bowl mix up the sausage and all the vegetables you sautéed 
- heat the broth until hot 
- add the bread cubes (I used 1 whole bag and 1/2 the other bag) to the bowl
- pour in the hot broth
- mix it all up and add salt pepper and thyme leaves as needed
- add in the 2 eggs once cooled a minute and mix it all up with your hands. The eggs will help hold it together in the oven 
- spray down your bundt pan really well with Pam
- Then take more butter and grease the bundt pan further and even cut little butter slices and put in all the nooks and crannies of the pan. 
- pour the stuffing mixture into the pan and press it all down to pack it in tight
- put more butter slices all over the top (YES DO IT)
- put the bundt pan on a cookie sheet so it catches the butter drippings
- bake for about 40 - 50 minutes on 400
- let cool for at least an hour so it can set up
- take a deep breath.  Ready. Flip it out onto a plate. Do it fast. Hit the top a few times. 
- garnish with thyme leaves

BOOM