This sweet and savoury stuffing uses Brioche, Honey Garlic Sausage and Pears.
I was making this Make Ahead Holiday Turkey so I had lots of rich turkey broth on hand. That allowed me to make this sweet and savoury Honey Garlic Sausage Stuffing ahead as well. Of course you can use any good quality chicken broth to make it as well.
There is one 'exotic' step here that you can choose to do ... or not. The recipe calls for a combination of fresh pears and dried pears.
I have a dehydrator so I just popped some pear slices in there the night before but you can do it in your oven too. In the oven you set it as 225 degrees F and roast for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours (depends on how thin your slices are). If you are around you can start/stop your oven or use your oven timers. The slices don't have to be taken out right away so you can stop the oven and let the tray of slices sit for hours.
If you want to keep this recipe really simple just substitute dried cranberries for the dried pears.
The sweetness of the pear complements the sweetness of the brioche and the sausage keeps it sweet and savoury. (And the dried cranberry will too if substituting.)
I roasted mine, covered, in the oven in a fairly low sided roasting pan on the side of the turkey.
And now the wonderful 'happenstance'.... the leftovers make a great breakfast casserole! Check out this Leftover Stuffing Breakfast Casserole. The sausage in the stuffing and brioche bread lend themselves particularly well to a morning breakfast. I was able to supplement the casserole with some of the extra Honey Garlic Sausage I had on hand. This may become my go-to stuffing just for the leftovers....
FAQs
I wouldn't recommend switching away from the Honey Garlic Sausage because a spicy, savoury sausage will completely change the profile of this dish.
I would avoid using this if I could because it is usually quite heavily seasoned and may overwhelm the delicate honey/pear flavours here. However, if that is what you have then go ahead but omit the sage and thyme in the recipe.
You could make this up and freeze ahead of time if you omit adding the broth. Mix it and freeze it without broth. Defrost and then add the broth before baking. Adding the broth before freezing will make a very soggy finished dressing.
Brioche Stuffing with Honey Garlic Sausage
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Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
- 8 oz honey garlic sausage casing removed and crumbled
- 4 cups brioche day old, in 1" cubes See note 1.
- 2 stalks celery sliced thin
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 leek white and green parts only, sliced thinly
- ½ cup dried cranberries See note 2.
- 1 firm fresh pear See note 2.
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- 6 sage leaves finely sliced or 1 teaspoon dried
- ¼ cup parsley minced
- 6 Tbsps butter
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups turkey or chicken broth may need a bit more
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 ° F. Lay Brioche cubes out in a single layer on a tray. Bake about 10 minutes, checking so they don't burn. Set aside and allow to cool. Can be made ahead and stored airtight for a few days.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet using a spoon or spatula to break into small even crumbs. Transfer cooked sausage to a large bowl. Pour off any fat, reserving about 2 Tbsps in the skillet.
- Add the vegetables and cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits until vegetables are soft and translucent. Stir in the pear and dried cranberries and cook 1 more minute. Add the vegetable mixture to the sausage mix in the bowl.
- Add the herbs and the bread cubes and mix evenly.
- Melt the butter, add the salt and pepper and broth. Whisk in the lightly beaten eggs. Pour over the bread/sausage mix and stir well to combine. All the bread should be moist. (See Note 3 if freezing ahead of time.) Add broth a bit as a time as needed.
- Refrigerate upto 48 hours, until ready to stuff the turkey or bake.
- For Stuffing: Fill the neck and body cavity and cook with the turkey. For any excess- butter or spray an oven proof dish. Cover with foil and bake beside the turkey about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake a further 15 minutes until top is golden brown.
- For Dressing: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a baking dish and fill with the mixture. Cover with foil and bake about 40 minutes until heated through. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
Notes
- Brioche bread makes this stuffing definitely on the sweet side. If you want to use regular sourdough or crusty bread you can use half brioche and half regular bread or use all sourdough or crusty bread. Do not use the bread pre-seasoned with dressing spices because it will move the flavour of this away from the honey garlic, pear profile.
- If you don't want to bother with the drying of the pear step you can just use the whole fresh pear, or use half the fresh pear and increase the dried cranberries to ¾ cup.
- If you want to really make this ahead and freeze it stop after you have stirred in the butter and slightly whisked egg. When ready to bake, defrost it and add the broth a bit at a time and then proceed with baking.
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