MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

     Title: Easy-Baked Herbed Stuffing (Milk Street)
Categories: Appetizers, Main dish, Breads, Seandennis
     Yield: 8 Servings

     1 c  Finely chopped celery
     8 tb (1 stick) salted butter,
          Melted
     8 oz Shallots, peeled
   1/3 c  Lightly packed fresh sage
          Leaves
     2 tb Lightly packed fresh thyme
          Leaves
 1 1/2 ts Kosher salt
     1 ts Ground black pepper
 1 1/2 lb Sturdy white sandwich breat,
          Cut into 3/4-inch cubes
     3 c  Low-sodium chicken broth
   1/2 c  Heavy cream
   1/2 c  Chopped fresh flat-leaf
          Parsley

 Prep time: 30 minutes

 Total time: 2.5 hours

 Heat the oven to 325 degrees F with racks in the upper middle and
 lower middle positions. In a bowl, toss the celery with 1 tablespoon
 of the butter; set aside. In a food processor, combine the shallots,
 sage, thyme, salt, pepper and remaining butter.  Process to form a
 smooth paste, about 30 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed.  In a
 large bowl, combine the bread and shallot-herb paste, tossing gently.

 Fold in the celery, then divide the mixture between 2 rimmed baking
 sheets. Bake until the celery is tender and bread is crisp and
 golden, 50 to 60 minutes, stirring the bread and switching and
 rotating the pans halfway through. Let cool slightly. At this stage
 the bread mixture can be cooled, bagged and stored for a day. When
 ready to proceed, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

 Transfer the bread mixture to a large bowl, scraping any browned bits
 off the sheet pans. Fold in the broth, cream, and parsley; let sit
 for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Transfer to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and spread evenly. Bake on the
 upper middle rack until well browned on top, 40 to 45 minutes,
 rotating the dish halfway through. Let sit for 20 minutes before
 serving.

 TIP: Don't use regular chicken broth. Make sure to use low-sodium,
 otherwise you'll end up with an oversalted stuffing. Of course,
 homemade chicken or turkey stock is even better.

 Recipe notes: "Stuffing may well be the best part of Thanksgiving, a
 sponge to soak up gravy and any stray melting butter that escapes the
 mashed potatoes. But mincing and sauteing the aromatics that help
 turn bland bread tasty is tiresome. We speed things up -- and
 maximize flavor -- by giving butter, fresh herbs, and raw shallots a
 whiz in the food processor, then using the resulting paste to season
 bread cubes while they toast in the oven.  We found that any sturdy,
 high-quality sliced sandwich bread from the grocer worked well here.
 As the bread bakes, the raw bite of the shallots cooks off leaving
 behind a mellow tang. Chopped celery is tossed with melted butter and
 mixed into the bread, softening as the cubes toast. The mixture is
 then moistened with low-sodium chicken broth and a touch of cream
 before being baked to create a relatively carefree stuffing that will
 satisfy even the strictest traditionalists."

 From: http://recipes.177milkstreet.com/recipes/classic-herbed-stuffing
 (Christopher Kimball's Milk Street)

 MM'd by Sean Dennis (1:18/200@Fidonet) on 16 January 2017.

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