Dried Cranberry Apple Fig Stuffing Recipes

DRIED CRANBERRY, APPLE & FIG STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add apples and all herbs, saute until apples just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. (This can be made 1 day ahead). Put in medium bowl, cover and chill.
• Mix 1 cup broth and dried fruit in a bowl. Let soak at least 1 hour (up to 3 hours).
• Preheat oven to 350. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until bread is crusty but not hard,(switching placement of the sheets after 5 minutes) - bake 10 to 12 minutes total. Put in very large bowl and cool.
• Butter 13x9 baking dish. Stir vegetable mixture into bread.
• Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend, then whisk in broth with dried fruit. Add egg mixture to stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.
• Bake uncovered until cooked through and brown and crusty on top, 50 to 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

WILD RICE, APPLE, AND DRIED-CRANBERRY STUFFING

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and most grains are split open, 1 to 1 1/4 hours (not all liquid will be absorbed). Drain well in a colander and spread out in a baking pan to cool completely.
• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spread bread cubes in a shallow baking pan and bake in upper third of oven until dry, about 20 minutes.
• Melt 1 stick butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook onion and celery, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add apple and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs, pepper, and remaining teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with rice, bread, and dried cranberries.
• Increase oven temperature to 450°F and butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish (13 by 9 inches).
• Spread stuffing evenly in baking dish and drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter. Bake, covered tightly with foil, in upper third of oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more.

NEW ENGLAND SAUSAGE, APPLE AND DRIED CRANBERRY STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• Sauté sausages in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off any drippings from skillet. Melt butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to skillet; sauté until leeks soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in dried cranberries and rosemary. Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Mix eggs into stuffing.
• TO bake stuffing in turkey:
• Fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough chicken broth into remaining stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Spoon remaining stuffing into buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered aluminum foil. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover stuffing and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• To bake all stuffing in pan:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Mix 1 1/3 cups broth into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

CRANBERRY APPLE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Add butter; cook and stir until butter is melted. Remove from the heat., Stir in stuffing cubes, apples, cranberries, almonds, sage, thyme, pepper, salt and enough cider to reach desired moistness. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Cover and bake 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned, 5-10 minutes.