Spiced Fruit Bread Stuffing Recipes

HERB STUFFING WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cut or tear the bread into bite-size pieces. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into a single layer. Bake until slightly dry and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried fruit, sage, thyme, apple, onion, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl.
• Add the toasted bread to the onion mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Stir in the egg. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and evenly spread without packing the stuffing down too much. Bake until the top is crusty, about 40 minutes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the top. Continue to bake until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Garnish with parsley and thyme.

BREAD AND FRUIT STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Saute onion and celery until onion begins to brown.
• Add mushrooms, apples and parsley, and continue cooking until apples soften and mushrooms release their liquid.
• Reduce heat, and stir in dried cherries, dried apples, sage and thyme. Continue cooking until mixture is well blended.
• Add bread and stock, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, then stuff the mixture into a 12- to 14-pound turkey just before cooking. Stuffing may be made ahead and frozen for a week or two. Or it may be refrigerated for two days.

BROWN BREAD STUFFING WITH FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
• Add the bread in a large bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of the butter to a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, stir in the garlic, celery, and onions, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and the sage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the cherries, apples, and the pecans. Transfer to the bowl with the bread and toss to evenly combine.
• Combine the remaining butter with the broth and the apple juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Drizzle over the bread mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake until golden brown on top and heated through and the internal temperature registers 160 to 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 to 45 minutes.