Sunday Suppers' Wild Mushroom and Brioche Stuffing-Famous Fridays
Happy Friday everyone!! Today's Famous Fridays features two things culinary that are near and dear to my heart: this Wild Mushroom and Brioche Stuffing and the cookbook that it hails from, Sunday Suppers: Recipes and Gatherings by Karen Mordechai. If you're still searching for the perfect stuffing to make for Turkey Day (and not to make anyone nervous, but it's less than 2 weeks away now) your worries are over. It's chock full of wonderful ingredients-- leeks, cremini mushrooms, white wine, Gruyere cheese, sweet brioche, etc. and once again is a reminder of that old adage that you get out what you put in, which is sort of the whole concept of this beautiful cookbook as well.
Sunday Suppers features not only some terrific recipes but also the concept that in the busy disconnected world in which we live, it's critical to slow down and enjoy good food with friends and family, a belief that I share but often find hard to put into practice (like for example, it's my sisters' birthday this weekend and we are finding it really tough to coordinate all our families to celebrate, but we're trying, we're really trying!!) The inspiration for the book came from Karen's idea to create small gatherings of people eating together in all sorts of locations and circumstances all over the U.S., like a beach picnic in California, a camping trip lunch cooked over an open fire and a traditional Thanksgiving family meal as well. I've already made a bunch of recipes from the book for my family and they were all good, but this stuffing tops the charts!
Not sure what your experience has been, but I've always found that stuffing is one of those things that people have very passionate opinions about and they usually make the same one year after year, especially if it's a family recipe. I know it's that way in my clan, but after several extended members tasted this preview, this will definitely be a keeper!
The whole thing comes together fairly easily and you can sub in challah bread for the brioche if you can't find any. The beauty part too is that you can make this a day ahead and refrigerate it without cooking it and then just pop it into the oven before you're ready to serve it on Thanksgiving, a real time and sanity saver!
And the taste...YUM!! It's so full of flavor with the mushrooms and the leeks and the cheese and has that savory sweet thing going for it too since the brioche or challah adds more sweetness than ordinary bread would. The best stuffing I've ever eaten! So pick up a copy of Sunday Suppers and make this delicious stuffing and some of the other great recipes in there. I think it may be time to start some new traditions too! Have a great weekend!!
Sunday Suppers' Wild Mushroom and Brioche Stuffing-Famous Fridays
Makes enough for 6 generous servings--for a big party you will definitely need to double this.
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Bake Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for buttering the baking dish
2 shallots, minced
4 cups thinly sliced leeks, use white and light green parts
1 pound cremini or other wild mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere (I used a shredded Trader Joe's mix of Swiss and Gruyere)
6 cups cubed brioche or challah bread
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chicken stock, plus more if needed
The Recipe
1. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, leeks, mushrooms and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until veggies have softened. Add the wine and thyme and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated. Transfer mixture to a bowl and remove and discard thyme. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs, a generous pinch of salt and the cheese into a large bowl and whisk together. Add the cooked vegetable mixture, the brioche or challah and parsley and mix well together. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken stock and toss. Continue to add more stock until the mixture is moistened but not wet or gooey--You don't want any liquid to be in the bottom of the bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, butter a length of aluminum foil large enough to cover the dish, cover the dish tightly with the foil and refrigerate until ready to cook. This can be done up to one day ahead.
4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the covered dish into the oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so until the top is golden brown.
5. I haven't doubled this yet, but I will for Thanksgiving and I will definitely bake it in two separate baking dishes because I loved how the top was all crusty and you get more surface area with two pans. If you opt for doubling and putting it into one big deep dish, you will likely have to increase the baking time. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated or eaten cold.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Sunday Suppers: Recipes and Gatherings by Karen Mordecai.
