The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (168 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Most cornbread stuffings are either dry and crumbly or wet and soggy. We wanted a cornbread stuffing with a toasted top, moist interior, and satisfyingly rich interior. Tearing the cornbread into bite-size pieces created enough crumbs to release the cornbread flavor, but enough bigger pieces remained for substance. Cornbread that had been staled had the best texture. Eggs made our stuffing cohesive, chicken broth added the necessary moisture, and half-and-half gave our stuffing a full, rich flavor. Soaking the bread in the liquid mixture for just one hour took our stuffing to the next level. To finish, we added some sautéed herbs and aromatics along with sausage for a meaty punch.

SERVES 10 TO 12

To make the stuffing a day in advance, increase both the chicken broth and half-and-half by ¹⁄
₄
cup each and refrigerate the unbaked stuffing 12 to 24 hours; before transferring it to the baking dish, let the stuffing stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes so that it loses its chill.

1.
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread cornbread pieces in even layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets and dry in oven 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer dried cornbread to large bowl and increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

2.
Whisk broth, half-and-half, and eggs together in medium bowl. Add broth mixture to cornbread and toss very gently to coat so that bread does not break into smaller pieces. Set aside.

3.
Cook sausage in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Add half of onions and celery to fat left in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl with sausage. Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add vegetable mixture and sausage mixture to bowl with cornbread and stir gently to combine (try not to break bread into smaller pieces). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

4.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 15 by 10-inch baking dish (or two 9-inch square or 11 by 7-inch baking dishes). Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish; pour any liquid accumulated in bottom of bowl over stuffing and, if necessary, gently press stuffing with rubber spatula to fit into baking dish. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Andouille is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage. If you cannot find any, chorizo can be substituted.

Omit sausage and increase butter to 4 tablespoons. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄
₄
-inch pieces, along with one-third of onions and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 tablespoons minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce along with thyme, sage, and garlic. Add bell pepper mixture, along with softened onion mixture and 1¹⁄
₂
pounds andouille sausage, cut into ¹⁄
₂
-inch pieces, to bowl with cornbread.

MAKES ABOUT 16 CUPS CRUMBLED CORNBREAD

You need about three-quarters of this recipe for the stuffing; the rest is for nibbling.

1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

2.
Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. Push dry ingredients up sides of bowl to make well. Whisk buttermilk, milk, and eggs together in separate bowl, then pour into well and stir with whisk until just combined; stir in melted butter.

3.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake until top is golden brown and the edges have pulled away from sides of pan, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove cornbread from oven and let cool to room temperature on wire rack before using, about 1 hour.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Cranberry sauce should have enough sweetness to temper the assertively tart fruit (but no so much that it is cloying) and its texture should be that of a soft gel, neither too liquid-y nor too stiff. Because it has only three basic ingredients—cranberries, sweetener, and liquid—we simply had to find the right proportions. We started with a 12-ounce bag of cranberries, since that is what is commonly available in the supermarket. One cup of granulated sugar balanced the tartness of the berries with a direct sweetness, without adding a strong flavor profile of its own. We found that no other liquid offered a single advantage over plain water, and ³⁄
₄
cup was just right. We also discovered that adding just a pinch of salt brought out an unexpected sweetness in the berries, heightening the flavor of the sauce overall.

MAKES
2¹⁄
₄
CUPS

If you’ve got frozen cranberries, do not defrost them before use; just pick through them and add about 2 minutes to the simmering time.

Bring sugar, water, and salt to boil in medium saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Stir in cranberries; return to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until saucy and slightly thickened, and about two-thirds of berries have popped open, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl, let cool to room temperature, and serve. (Cranberry sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Orange juice adds little flavor, but we found that zest and liqueur pack the orange kick we were looking for in this sauce.

Heat 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges) with sugar mixture. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as triple sec or Grand Marnier).

Peel, core, and cut 2 firm, ripe Bosc pears into ¹⁄
₂
-inch pieces; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger and ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon ground cinnamon with sugar mixture and stir pears into liquid along with cranberries.

Substitute champagne for water and add 3 tablespoons dried currants to liquid along with cranberries.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Though Cornish hens are small, they still present many challenges—the breast meat easily overcooks; it can be difficult to get the birds to brown with such a short stay in the oven; stuffing them is never easy; and they are in need of a serious flavor boost. To prevent steaming, we lifted the birds up and out of the roasting pan and onto a wire rack. Turning the birds once proved to be crucial for moist and juicy breast meat. The ideal roasting temperature was 400 degrees, though we cranked up the oven to 450 degrees at the end of cooking to promote browning. For even more color, we opted to glaze the birds with balsamic vinegar; this gave them a pleasant, spotty brown barbecued look. Heating the stuffing before placing it inside the birds let it come up to the proper temperature more quickly during cooking, thereby keeping the breast meat from overcooking. We also created a simpler approach (without stuffing) where we butterfly the hen so it roasts quickly and evenly and is seasoned with an herb butter for an extra boost of flavor.

See “PREPARING STUFFED CORNISH GAME HENS” illustrations that follow recipe.

SERVES 6

If your game hens are frozen, be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours before brining. Pouring a little broth into the baking sheet at the 25-minute mark, once the hens have been turned, both prevents them from smoking during cooking and makes instant jus, eliminating the need to deglaze the pan.

1.
Dissolve ¹⁄
₂
cup salt in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge hens in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Remove hens from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Season with pepper and tuck wings behind back.

3.
Whisk vinegar and oil together in small bowl and set aside. Microwave stuffing in covered bowl until very hot, about 2 minutes. Spoon ¹⁄
₂
cup of hot stuffing into cavity of each hen, then tie each hen’s legs together with kitchen twine. Arrange hens, breast side down and with wings facing out, on prepared wire rack.

4.
Roast hens until backs are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and brush each hen with vinegar glaze. Rotate hens breast side up and with wings facing out, and brush with glaze. Add ¹⁄
₂
cup broth to pan and continue to roast until stuffed cavity registers 150 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

5.
Remove baking sheet from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Brush each hen with glaze, add remaining ¹⁄
₂
cup broth to baking sheet, and continue to roast until hens are spotty brown and cavity registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove hens from oven, transfer to carving board, and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove twine used to truss hens.

6.
Meanwhile, pour cooking juices from pan into small saucepan and let settle for 5 minutes. Remove any fat from surface with large spoon. Add vermouth, bring to simmer, and cook until sauce thickens slightly and flavors meld, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hens, passing sauce separately.