Corn Bread Stuffing

The Cook & Kitchen Staff have offered you four different Thanksgiving Day
Dinner menus during November, and we’ve nearly finished serving up our
final recipe collection, featuring a “Thanksgiving Day Dinner on the Farm”
theme.

You will need to prepare and bake a batch of Home-style Corn Bread and
allow it to cool before you begin preparing today’s recipe. If you did not
save the Corn Bread recipe, you can find it at our Archives (Just go to
http://www.bignetwork.com/dp/rd then click on “Archive,” and then click
on “November 20. . .Home-Style Corn Bread.”)

* See Nov. 20th Recipe-a-Day Feature: http://www.bignetwork.com/dp/rd

Pre-heat oven to 325-F degrees. Cut corn bread into 3/4-inch cubes. Place
corn bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast until dry but not hard, about
15 minutes. Cool. Transfer to large bowl.

Lightly butter 9-inch by 13-inch ovenproof baking dish and reserve, if
preparing immediately. (If preparing a day in advance of your meal, hold
this step until you’re finishing the stuffing on the day it’s to be
prepared and served.)

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about
8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer bacon to paper towels to remove excess
fat. Reserve 1/4 cup bacon drippings in skillet. Cool bacon and crumble.

Meanwhile, toast the pecans in the same 325-F degree oven for about 8 to 10
minutes. Turn once while toasting. Let cool, then chop the pecans.

Add butter to bacon drippings in skillet and melt over medium-high heat.
Add onions, celery, and shallots and saut?just until pale golden brown,
about 10 minutes. Stir in sage and thyme. Pour mixture over corn bread
cubes in bowl. Mix in pecans and crumbled bacon. (This portion of your
preparation may be completed a day in advance of your meal. Cover, and
refrigerate.)

Stir chicken or turkey broth into the stuffing. Season to taste with salt
and pepper. Mix in eggs. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake stuffing in
covered dish alongside turkey for 1 hour. Uncover stuffing and bake until
top begins to crisp, about 10 minutes longer. Place stuffing in a serving
dish and serve warm.