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Cornbread Dressing 101
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November, 2002) - When families
and friends sit down to their holiday dinners in the South,
cornbread dressing will more than likely be on the table.
"Like many traditional recipes, cornbread dressing is a
tribute to resourceful Southern cooks who created wonderful
recipes with the ingredients they had on hand," says Linda
Carman, Martha White baking expert. "We love cornbread down
here, so I guess it's not surprising we would add it to our
dressing."
Basically, cornbread dressing is a seasoned mixture of
crumbled cornbread and white bread or biscuits, moistened
with broth and baked. As simple as that seems, there are
countless variations on the basic cornbread dressing theme.
Dressing or Stuffing?
Dressing and stuffing are essentially the same, but
Southern cooks usually don't stuff the bread mixture into
the bird. Instead, they bake it in a separate pan - and call
it dressing. No one is quite sure why, but it likely has
something to do with their preference for cornbread
dressing's irresistible buttery crust and the fact that the
bird probably wouldn't hold enough to satisfy holiday
appetites.
Start with Good Cornbread
Of course, to have good cornbread dressing, you must have
good cornbread. Although some people make a special
cornbread for their dressing, most recipes simplycall for
crumbled cornbread. You can just use your favorite recipe or
choose a cornbread mix for added convenience. Crisp
cornbread made in a cast iron skillet adds texture and
flavor to the dressing.
To simplify last minute preparation, begin freezing
leftover cornbread a few weeks in advance. Or, if your
cornbread always gets eaten, just make an extra skillet when
you have the oven on.
Most cornbread dressing recipes call for some wheat
bread, which makes the dressing hold together a little
better than all cornbread. Freeze leftover biscuits, white,
whole wheat, or French bread - whatever you have on hand -
to add to your dressing.
Texture
The texture of dressing is simply personal preference.
Texture is determined by how finely the bread is crumbled,
by the proportion of cornbread to wheat bread and by the
amount of broth used. The addition of eggs to the bread
mixture makes the dressing hold together a little more.
Martha White's Old South Herbed Cornbread
Dressing is made with breads that have been finely
crumbled, so the texture is fairly smooth. This dressing may
be spooned into a pan for baking or formed into individual
servings (called "pones") before baking.
At the other extreme, Classic Cornbread Dressing
with Country Ham and Dried Fruit is made with
coarsely crumbled breads. This recipe lends itself easily to
the addition of other ingredients, but if you prefer
traditional dressing, just leave out the ham and fruit.
Classic Seasonings
Onion and sage are classic English stuffing flavors
adopted by Southern cooks, while celery is a more modern
addition. Most traditional cornbread dressing recipes call
for onions and celery, sautéed in butter and added to
the cornbread mixture along with chicken or turkey broth.
For most people, sage is the defining flavor in cornbread
dressing. Even the proponents of poultry seasoning would
probably agree that it is the sage in the seasoning that
provides that distinctive flavor.
What about dried sage leaves versus ground sage? Many
cooks prefer to use dried sage leaves because the finely
ground sage can turn dressing a rather unappetizing shade of
green, especially if you like a lot of it.
New Traditions
If traditional cornbread dressing -- seasoned with onion,
celery and sage -- is your idea of the best cornbread
dressing, you are set for your holiday dinner. On the other
hand, many flavor combinations can be added to this basic
dressing to complement your holiday menu.
To create your own stylish dressing, try adding savory
meats such as cooked sausage, country ham or bacon. They are
especially good combined with fruits like chopped apples,
raisins, dried apricots or cranberries. Toasted pecans,
walnuts or pine nuts also add a nice flavor and texture. The
addition of herbs and spices - such as nutmeg, fresh
parsley, cayenne, thyme, rosemary or marjoram -- will also
add interest to dressing.
For additional cornbread dressing recipes and other
favorites to add to your holiday menu, visit the Martha
White Kitchen online at www.marthawhite.com