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Dried Cranberry, Apricot, and Fig Stuffing from 'Bon Appétit'

Posted by Ed Levine, October 27, 2008 at 2:09 PM

When we talked to Bon Appétit editor in chief Barbara Fairchild about the November 2008 issue of the magazine, we asked her what her favorite Thanksgiving recipes from the issue were.

I like as many pork products as possible in stuffing, but this recipe promises to be loaded with flavor even without bacon or sausage.—Ed

Dried Cranberry, Apricot, and Fig Stuffing

by Sarah Foster
- 8-10 servings -

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
1 pound Granny Smith apples (about 2 medium), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup diced stemmed dried figs
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add apples and all herbs. Sauté until apples just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl, cover, and chill. Can be made 1 day ahead.

2. Mix 1 cup broth and dried fruit in bowl. Let soak at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread is crusty but not hard, reversing sheets after 5 minutes, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to very large bowl and cool.

4. Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Stir vegetable mixture into bread. Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend; whisk in broth and dried fruit mixture. Add egg mixture to stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.

5. Bake stuffing uncovered until cooked through and brown and crusty on top, 50 to 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

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Tags: apricots, Bon Appetit, cranberries, figs, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving stuffings