UBS Virtual Cooking Class: Customizable Thanksgiving Stuffing / Dressing

NOTE: This event is for UBS employees only. Be sure to register using your ubs.com email address. One registration per employee please.

This event is optional and not firm-mandated.

Thanksgiving dressing (stuffing that is not stuffed) is a savory bread pudding typically made with poultry stock, eggs, butter, and flavored with an aromatic sauté of vegetables and often sausage.

The bread gets dried out and then rehydrated with eggs and stock- by drying it out before soaking, we replace its water with ingredients that have fat and protein to create a texture that is creamy and custardy instead of wet and spongy. Be sure to dry the bread out well- the oven method is most effective. Additionally, it is best to let the mixture sit for a bit before cooking to ensure the custard gets evenly soaked, at least 15 minutes but up to 24 hours.

The aromatic saute is very flexible. The classic combo is sausage (optional), onion, celery, garlic, and poultry herbs like sage or rosemary or thyme. Beyond those ingredients, there are lots of optional ingredients you can add to the saute to enrich its flavor. Scroll down to the bottom for decliious add-in’s.

Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing with Optional Upgrades

Serves 8 - 10

1 ¼ lb (6 - 8 cups) torn or cubed (¾”) bread, such as sourdough, cornbread, country white, French or Italian loaves, challah

6 tbsp (¾ stick) butter or olive oil

1 lb sausage (sweet, fennel, or sage), out of casing, optional

1 onion, small dice, or 2 leeks, sliced

2 celery stalks, small dice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as sage, thyme, rosemary, or marjoram (or a combination)

3 - 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chives

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ¾ cups chicken or turkey stock, low or no sodium, cold

2 eggs, whisked

1. To prep bread: To dry out bread, lightly toast it in a low temperature oven (about 15 - 20 min @ 300F) until dry. Alternatively: the night before, spread cubes out in a single layer on a large platter and let dry on counter overnight, uncovered. Ensure bread is very dry.

2. To make saute (see notes below on how to add optional ingredients): Melt 4 tbsp butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat; cut remaining butter into small pieces and reserve for topping stuffing. If skipping sausage, go to step 3. If using sausage, add sausage to hot pan and use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break up chunks into fine pieces. Cook until almost cooked through with almost no pink remaining, about 8 minutes; adjust heat to prevent burning.

3. Add onion or leek and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and herbs (just the sage/ rosemary/ thyme/ marjoram, not the parsley); cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute or until fragrant. Deglaze pan by slowly pouring in ¾ cup stock (reserve remaining) and scraping up browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a silicone or wooden spatula. Remove from heat and stir in parsley or chives. Taste and adjust (be cautious to not over season if using salted stock). Let cool slightly before next step.

4. In a bowl, beat eggs with remaining 1 cup stock, then add to cooled sausage mixture and stir to evenly combine. Add bread cubes and gently fold until evenly combined.

5. Grease a 9x13” baking dish and carefully transfer mixture to dish. Dot the top with the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Butter a piece of foil big enough for the pan and loosely cover the dish, buttered side down. Let sit at least 15 minutes or refrigerate for up to 24 hours (if baking from fridge, remove and let sit at room temp 1 hour before baking).

6. To cook: Preheat oven to 375F. Place covered dish in oven and bake about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting.

Optional Add-In’s to the Saute:

· Bacon / Pancetta (8 oz): can be used instead of sausage. Cook at medium heat in butter until crispy, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Return to mixture when mixing in parsley or chives.

Can be added with onion and celery stage in step 3:

· Mushrooms, sliced ⅓” (6-8 oz)

· Carrot, small dice (1 large)

· Fennel (½ bulb)

· Apple, small dice (1, crisp variety such as Granny Smith)

· Chestnuts, shelled, roasted, and smashed (6-8 oz)

Can be added at the garlic and herb stage in step 3:

· Pinch spices, such as red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, small pinch ground ginger or clove

· 1 - 2 tsp minced ginger

· White wine (3 tbsp): can be added to deglaze pan: just before adding stock to pan in step 3, add wine and scrape up bits in pan, cook until wine is evaporated and then add ¾ cup stock.

Delicious Combinations to Add In:

Mushroom, Leek, Chestnut

Fennel, Apple, Ginger

Bacon, Apple, Clove

Pancetta, Carrot, Red Pepper Flakes, Chestnuts

Sausage, Apple, Fennel