How far in advance can I make the dressing?
I am going to make Corn Bread Dressing with Pecans and Bacon, posted here:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/10/serious-thanksgiving-corn-bread-dressing-with.html
I have to work on Thanksgiving Day, so my meal will be in the evening. Therefore, I am trying to do as much as possible ahead of time. How far ahead could I go with this, and avoid soggy dressing? Chould I add the sauteed veggies and bacon to the bread (step 7) on Wed night, then stop before adding liquid, adding it the next day and finishing? Or maybe cook all the way thru on Wed night and then re-heat? Could it be cooked completely on the weekend and frozen, and then re-heated?
MIL usually makes the dressing, but I won't be seeing her this year, so this is new to me :-) Thanks!
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3 Comments:
Why don't you just cook everything that goes into it, short of the bread, and refrigerate that mixture. Then, on the big day, just nuke the cooked stuff, toss with the bread and liquid, and bake. Disclaimer: I haven't actually looked at the recipe, so I don't know if this will work for you. It was just my first thought.
For me, stuffing doesn't normally take all that long to make once all the chopping is done. I just make a simple celery-sage bread stuffing, so the most demanding part is prepping a boatload of celery and onions. All that chopping takes a long time, and always leaves me with a sore shoulder the next day, so I usually do it in stages.
LoCo at 1:57PM on 11/20/08
On Wednesday saute the veg, cool and store in plastic containers, same with bacon. If you're cooking it in the bird, put it together just before stuffing bird. If cooking in a separate pan, put it together just before baking. Don't try to add liquid and hold it overnight before cooking. And yes to the last question about cooking the previous weekend and freezing. But i like the first solution best. It only takes a couple of minutes to toss it altogether if everything is pre cooked.
nightmoon at 1:59PM on 11/20/08
I wouldn't add any liquid beforehand. And I think adding the bread on the day is a good idea. Though, you know, if you don't have much time of Thanksgiving day, I would just saute the veg and bacon the day before. Add everything into the baking dish except 1/2-3/4 the cooking liquid and the pecans (hate soggy pecans) and bake for the first half. Then the next day toast the pecans, add more liquid and finish it up. This way, you'll be sure to get the dressing soft enough (assuming you like the bread on the softer side) without turning it to mush. I've had leftover stuffing many a time, just adding some more liquid before reheating, and never had a problem.
caviarandcodfish at 9:51AM on 11/21/08