Sausage and pear stuffing with chestnuts and prunes
11 cups
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | tablespoons | Butter plus extra for baking dish and foil |
| 8 | ounces | Bulk pork or chicken-apple sausage |
| 1 | medium | Onion, (1 cup) |
| Coarsely chopped | ||
| 2 | Firm pears, peeled | |
| Cut in 1/2\" chunks | ||
| 1 | large | Tart apple (Granny Smith) |
| Peeled, cut in 1/2\" chunks | ||
| ¼ | cup | Brandy |
| 2 | larges | Eggs, lightly beaten |
| 1½ | cup | Chicken stock |
| 1 | teaspoon | Salt |
| ½ | teaspoon | Pepper |
| ⅛ | teaspoon | Grated nutmeg |
| 1 | cup | Cooked peeled chestnuts |
| Fresh or canned | ||
| 6 | cups | Dried bread cubes |
| ½ | cup | Pitted prunes |
| Cut in1/2\" chunks | ||
| ½ | cup | Walnuts, toasted |
| Coarsely chopped | ||
Directions
1. Heat 1 tbs butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking meat up into small pieces, until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Transfer sausage to small bowl with slotted spoon; set aside. Discard fat; return skillet to burner. Heat remaining butter over medium-low heat; add onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add pears and apple; continue to cook over low heat onion begins to brown, 10-12 minutes. Increase heat to high, add brandy, and cook until reduced by half. Remove pan from heat; cool mixture to room temperature.
2. Whisk eggs, stock, salt and pepper and nutmeg in large bowl. Add sausage, cooled fruit mixture, chestnuts, bread cubes, prunes, and walnuts; toss gently to coat. Adjust seasonings to taste.
3. Place stuffing into buttered shallow baking dish; bake at 350øF, covered with buttered aluminum foil, until knife inserted into center feels warm to the touch, 25-40 minutes depending on amount of stuffing. Uncover and bake until top crisps slightly, 5-10 minutes.
Cook's Illustrated
Dec 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 11-05-95