Chestnut and Wild Mushroom Stuffing
Recipe by: Jeff Mosher, Julia's Kitchen at Copia
Serving size: 6
½ loaf pain de mie, or other white bread, unsliced
1 each medium sweet yellow onion, cut into small dice
4 each celery ribs, cut into small dice
6 each garlic cloves, minced
½ cup bacon lardoons, we make our own bacon, but you can use a nice applewood smoked bacon
2 cups peeled chestnuts
3 cups assorted wild mushrooms, cut into 1" pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 cup duck fat
2 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Trim the crust off the bread and slice into 1" cubes. Toss with ¼ cup of the duck fat, season with salt and pepper and toast in 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.
Sauté, on medium heat, the onions, celery, and bacon lardoons in 1 T of the duck fat. Once the bacon begins to color add the garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes.
In a separate pan, using 1 T of the duck fat, sauté the mushrooms on high heat for 3-4 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Cut the chestnuts in half and toss in ¼ cup of the duck fat, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until they achieve a nice golden brown color.
Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the marjoram, as much of the remaining duck fat as you wish, and the chicken stock.
Stir all the ingredients together, and check the seasoning.
If stuffing a bird, omit the chicken stock and stuff the bird. If making separately place the stuffing into an ovenproof pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes right before serving. Bon appetit!
Websites:>> Julia's Kitchen Restaurant
>> Copia
