Herb and Apple Stuffing (A Southern Cook’s Honest Take)
Toasted French bread soaked in a Gruyere custard, folded together with pancetta, a Granny Smith apple, onion, celery, and a whole lot of fresh rosemary and parsley. One 9×13 dish, ten to twelve servings, and not a speck of sugar in it — all the sweetness comes from that one apple. It takes a little work, but every bit of it can be done ahead.
I have a recipe in my kitchen today that I have never made before, and that does not happen very often around here.
A Recipe Swap With a Friend in Idaho
Here is how it came about. Nancy reached out to us a little while back. She has her own channel, Nancy’s Homestyle Kitchen, out in Idaho, and she had noticed we were doing a lot of the same kinds of things. We traded some emails, and then we got on a Zoom call together, and Paul and Darren and Nancy and I just enjoyed each other so much.
So we decided to swap recipes. She is making one of mine in her kitchen, and I am making one of hers in mine.
Something about it struck me. About a year ago this time, we were sitting almost exactly where Nancy is right now. A small channel. A few videos going up. Doing it part time and just enjoying the process. Then things took off for us. She is right there on the cusp of that same thing, and I am so glad she reached out.
Is It Stuffing or Is It Bread Pudding?
The recipe Nancy sent me is an old Ina Garten recipe she has been making for years. If you have been around, you know Ina, and you know her food is going to be good.
Ina calls this a bread pudding, and it is built like one — bread soaked in an egg and cream custard, the same way my old-fashioned bread pudding is put together. But Nancy thinks it has more of a stuffing feel to it, and having made it now, I am with Nancy. Call it whatever gets people to the table.
An Honest Word About Cornbread Dressing
Here in the South, we love our cornbread dressing. Some folks call it stuffing. We grow up with it, and come Thanksgiving or Christmas you just expect it to be sitting on that table.
So let me be honest with you. I do not know that this would replace my chicken and dressing on a holiday. But I will tell you, I would not be one bit mad if somebody brought this instead. It is very good, and I could be totally satisfied with it.
Darren went further than that. He took one bite, and all he said was “wow.” Then he told me he would take this over cornbread dressing. Well. Darren is not a true Southerner like me.
There is a real sweet-and-savory thing going on here, and I was surprised by how much sweetness comes through. One apple, and no sugar added anywhere. The savory side comes from the pancetta and all those herbs, and that Gruyere on top is just a beautiful complement to all of it.
How to Make Herb and Apple Stuffing
Here is the full recipe with everything you need. If you would rather watch me make it, the video is right here on the page too.
Herb and Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups French bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 oz. pancetta
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery about 2 stalks
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 cup sherry or apple juice with a splash of apple cider vinegar, see notes
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta and cook about 5 minutes, until it begins to crisp.
- Add the onion, apple, and celery. Cook about 8 minutes, until softened, stirring two or three times.
- Stir in the rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Add the sherry and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, chicken broth, heavy cream, and 1 1/2 cups of the Gruyere until combined. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for the top.
- Add the toasted bread cubes to the custard, then add everything from the skillet. Stir until every piece of bread is coated.
- Cover and let stand 30 minutes so the bread can absorb the custard. Do not skip this step.
- Stir once more, working any dried-out pieces from the top back down into the liquid.
- Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of Gruyere over the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Convection ovens may finish a few minutes early. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- No sherry? Use 1/2 cup apple juice with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar stirred in. If you are out of apple juice, use one part apple cider vinegar to four parts water.
- Bacon can be substituted for the pancetta. Cut it small and cook it in the butter the same way.
- Use a bread with some substance to it. French, sourdough, or Italian all hold up. Soft white sandwich bread will turn to mush. Remove the crust only if it is thick and heavy.
- A tablespoon of salt is correct. This dish does not lack for salt.
- Make ahead: toast the bread and cook the skillet mixture a day in advance and refrigerate them separately. Combine with the custard and soak the day you bake.
- Gruyere can be swapped for another good melting cheese, though it is the closest match to these flavors.
- Convection or fan-bake ovens may finish 4 to 5 minutes early. Start checking at 40 minutes.
Questions You Might Have
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, and it is a good candidate for it. Toast the bread and cook the skillet mixture a day ahead and refrigerate them separately. Mix everything with the custard the day you are baking and give it the thirty-minute soak then.
What can I use instead of pancetta?
Bacon. Cut it small and cook it in the butter the same way. It will be a little smokier than pancetta, which is not a bad thing at all.
I do not have sherry. What do I do?
That is exactly what I ran into. I filled my measuring cup almost to the top with apple juice, added about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and topped it off. That gets you the fruity and tangy notes the sherry would have given you. If you are out of apple juice too, use one part apple cider vinegar to four parts water.
Do I have to use Gruyere?
No. Gruyere is a really nice complement to these flavors and it is what the recipe calls for, but you could change it up and use whatever you have. Something that melts well with a little nuttiness to it would be closest.
What kind of bread works best?
Something with substance. French bread, sourdough, or Italian will all hold up. Soft white sandwich bread will turn to mush. The original calls for a French boule with the crust taken off — my bread had a thin, crisp crust so I left mine on. If yours is thick and heavy, cut it off.
Is it sweet?
It is sweeter than you would expect from a savory side, and there is no added sugar in it at all. Every bit of it comes from the one apple. You still have plenty of savory from the pancetta and the herbs to balance it out.
Do I really need a whole tablespoon of salt?
You do. It sounds like a lot, and it is. This dish does not lack for salt.
What should I serve with it?
It is a natural for a holiday plate next to turkey, but it does not have to be a holiday meal at all. It is wonderful alongside my marinated pork tenderloin.
From Your Kitchen to Ours
Do you have a recipe that has been in your family for years? The one everybody asks you to bring? I would love to see it. Email it to us at mk@marykatherinestable.com, or fill out the recipe submission form.
Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this one and for letting me make it in my kitchen. I loved this recipe swap, and I hope you will go see what she made from mine.
Remember to go out today and find somebody who needs a little bit of kindness and give them some of yours.
