Cook's Country (November 2014)
If a food magazine features an "old-fashioned" or somewhat unknown regional recipe, we're all about it. This is one of the reasons we love Cook's Country -- they consistently surface recipes that are windows into another time or place for us, like the Carolina Sweet Potato Sonker we made a few Thanksgivings ago.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, we're open to some novelty, be it tortilla chips, prunes or even olives. None of these flavors scream Thanksgiving to us, but hey, why not try it?
So we loved the novelty and concept of this Old-Fashioned Cracker Dressing with Dried Cranberries and Pecans.
Of course you can make a dressing with crackers (Goldfish dressing? Cheez-It stuffing?), but should you?
We made this dish to find out.
So here's what happens when you make a dressing out of saltine crackers:
The finished dressing, fresh out of the oven, is dry and loose, and very crumbly. Maybe some of you prefer a dry, loose dressing. If so, you'll love this dish. In fact, the author of this recipe was looking for final product that didn't "weigh down a holiday dinner," and had a "soft but no mushy texture."
But for our tastes, we thought this Old-Fashioned Cracker Dressing was dry, dry, dry. We wanted something more moist and dense, and with a whole lot more flavor.
We're sad to report that this dressing, along with the Roasted Citrus Relish, was the least favorite dish among our Fakesgiving guests. We believe there's still hope in a cracker dressing, that this recipe even could be tinkered with and improved for our tastes. A task for another day....
Have you ever had a cracker dressing? Maybe you grew up eating one? We'd love to hear about it.
>> Read the full Thanksgiving 2014 recipe index
>> Read about this year's biggest Thanksgiving trends
Old-Fashioned Cracker Dressing with Dried Cranberries and Pecans
Cook's Country (November 2014)
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Serves 8 to 10
Note from Cook's Country: The easiest way to crush the saltines is to place them in a 1-gallon zippper-lock bag and roll over them with a rolling pin. Do this in two batches.
INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound saltines, coarsely crushed
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
2 pounds onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup minced fresh sage
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
METHOD
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread crushed saltines in even layer on prepared sheet. Bake until very lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
2. Cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up pieces with spoon until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl with sausage. Stir in cranberries, pecans, celery, eggs, sage, thyme, pepper, salt and crushed saltines until combined. Stir in broth until incorporated.
3. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish and lightly press into even layer, leaving top somewhat craggy. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in microwave and brush over top of dressing. Bake until golden brown and crisp on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.
