Super Awesome Sister-in-law Stuffing

My super sweet sister-in-law asked for my recipe for stuffing. They celebrated Thanksgiving out here and she liked it so much she wanted the recipe to make for Christmas. I kind of cobble the recipe together using the instructions for the box of stuffing I had and what I've seen my Mom do over the years. Its not that different from anyone else's, except it had chicken sausage which I think goes better with anything poultry than porky sausage and it has leeks which is kind of ties into my family since my surname (Läuchli) which means leek in German. Although it looks German with its fancy umlaut, one of my uncles traced the genealogy of the Läuchli name back to Scotland, which makes the American pronunciation makes a lot more sense (pronounce loch-lea).

What you need

2-3 Leeks (depends on size if big 2 if small 3) - use only the white and palest green parts the dark green is tough. Also leeks are really hard to clean because the gritty dirt goes all through out, the easiest way to get them clean is rinse as well as you can once you've chopped off the dark green bits, then chop the rest first and then fill up your sink with cold water dump it all in there and swish allow grit to settle to the bottom and then skim the leek bits off the top. You may have to do this twice depending on how dirty it is.

About the same amount of Celery as for leeks - chopped in about the same size as leeks a little less than 1 cm cubes

I used chicken sausage 3 bratwurst sized links, whatever you use be sure to take off the skin if it's precooked. You and just slice them in half lengthwise and it should peel off easily. I used mild Italian flavor, I think whatever you have should be find as long as it's not too sweet unless you like a sweet-savory combination. Chop about the same as the leeks and celery.

I used one box of stuffing and half a loaf of oven dried Brioche, honestly I don't think it matters and you may as well save yourself the time and use 2 boxes of stuffing, I always like the Pepperidge farm kind but I'll leave it to you.

Look on stuffing box and buy the amount they suggest for water in Chicken Stock, Low Sodium if you can find it (allows you to control the level of saltiness) I'd buy the boxed kind instead of the can and try to go organic, normally it doesn't make a difference but regular boxed chicken stock doesn't taste as good for whatever reason.

1-2 eggs

Butter

Poultry seasoning - 1 teaspoon approx

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Sage (8-9 big leaves) and parsley (1/2 a bunch)

Method

OK. Take the amount the box suggests to use in butter and melt into big pot over medium heat (if you use 2 boxes remember to double that amount) drop in sausage fry until its a bit crisp then using a slotted spoon remove from the pan, stick in bowl to the side for later. Drop into pot the leeks and celery, this you don't want to brown just allow to get soft moving it around every once in a while, add poultry seasoning and a bit of salt and pepper, not too much though boxed stuffing tends to be salty. Sauté until they seem cooked then add half of the amount stated on the box of chicken stock to the pot along with the sausage, bring it to a simmer. Turn off stove. Dump in stuffing, stir, stir. Add the rest of the liquid in a stream, if you can stir while you add to ensure even distribution please do. Taste it, add whatever you think it needs, more seasoning etc. Allow to cool. While its cooling chop fine the sage and the parsley, once the stuffing is no longer hot to touch (can be warm just not *ow* hot) beat the eggs and add to stuffing with the herbs, stir, stir. It should look right to you, if it seems dry it is OK to add a bit more stock. Plop it all in a buttered casserole dish sort of compacting it so it's a dense mass and 350 for 30 covered with foil then give it 5 more minutes in the oven with no foil to help crust up the top. That should do it!

**Post note on the recipe, my brother actually made this for Christmas eve and according to them it turned out awesome!**

French Toast - Two ways

Ah French Toast, like many delicious classics, presumably started as a way for people to use up leftovers, in this case dry old bread. According to its Wikipedia article FT is a popular breakfast food in Europe (not just France where it’s actually called “pain perdu” literally lost bread), the US and Hong Kong, I’ll hazard a guess western influences were instrumental with that one. According to foodtimeline.org, FT was invented circa the 1st century AD, with recipes dating back to the Ancient Romans and the preparation being virtually the same as it is today. Mix-up some eggs and milk, toss in bread, soak, fry, serve and receive appreciative smiles. The techniques used for making FT lend themselves well to both the savory, think Monte Cristo sandwiches, or more popularly in my house, the sweet preparation. Everyone has their preference for how they like it, I happen to think FT is at its best when it’s creamy and pudding like in the center and crispy crunchy on the outside. People also differ in choices of topping; maple syrup, honey, and powered sugar probably leading the pack with of course a bit more butter, I prefer a fruiter finish like jam or a cobbled together fruit salad but I’ve also seen recipes for nuts and praline or streusel toppings that look amazing.

I suppose I should probably mention stuffed French toast too since we’re on the subject of French toast, I’ve never made it before but I have had it a few times and boy howdy is it yummy. I’ve never made it as I can’t really justify the calories as easily when I’m cooking as I can when I’m ordering but I might take a stab at a lighter version at one point or another. For those of you who have not been indoctrinated into the deliciousness that is Stuffed FT, its very thickly cut bread with a clever little pocket cut in the side so you can stuff all matter of goodies in the middle, the last one I ate had strawberries, bananas and about a ½ lb of cream cheese, it was amazingly delicious and filled me up for the rest of the day. I can’t remember if it was a special or not but I got it at the Café Verona on S. La Brea, if you are the neighborhood and feel peckish you many want to give it a try, its decent food and really reasonably priced.

The below is a recipe that I’ve cobbled together from a few different ones, it can be prepared either pan fried as is traditional (thanks Romans!) or baked which is a little less labor intensive and especially handy if you are doing a big brunch, if you go the baking route be sure to butter your pan extra well as the honey and egg can lead to serious stickage. You can also do all of this the night before and just cook the next morning if you’d like the 15 extra minutes of shuteye. This is a basic recipe, variations are endless you can subtract or substitute any of the flavorings as you see fit, I’ve also seen a lot of variations with Grand Marnier, bourbon and brandy in them. Hope you enjoy.

Recipe
¾ C milk (1% to half and half you choose)
2 eggs
1 T honey (for easier mixing pop in microwave for a few secs)
pinch of salt
scant ¼ t cinnamon (optional)
scant ¼ t nutmeg (optional)
zest of ½ an orange (optional)
½ t vanilla (optional)

6 ½-¾-inch sliced bread (Brioche, Challah or regular white should work)
3 T butter


Serves 2

Frying Route
Mix milk, eggs, salt and spices in bowl, arrange bread slices in pan pour egg mixture over top soak until bread has absorbed mixture. Heat pan with butter over medium heat, fry slices until brown and crisp on both sides. Serve with compote on the side.

Baking Route
Mix milk, eggs, salt and spices in bowl, arrange bread slices in pan pour egg mixture over top soak until bread has absorbed mixture. Bake 425, if you go for the baking route you might want to sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top with give it a nice crunch and color, sort of a crème brulee treatment. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are brown and crispy. Make sure you check the bottoms too about halfway through to make sure they aren’t burning. Serve with compote on the side.

Quick Berry Compote
1 6oz pack of raspberries
1 4.4oz pack blueberries
1 orange segmented (save all the bits you cut off and squeeze then into the pot also I segment right over the pot to make sure no juice is lost)
2 T maple syrup

Rinse berries in colander, toss all in pot put on low heat and heat through till fruit is warm but not completely burst, about 5 minutes. Will be quite watery when done, so its best serve on the side rather than on the top. Leftovers are great over vanilla ice cream or yogurt.