Cornbread Dressing

1 pan cornbread (recipe below)

1 quart chicken broth

¼ cup unsalted butter

½ medium sweet onion, diced small

2 celery ribs, diced small

½ tsp fresh thyme leaves

5-6 fresh sage leaves

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp white pepper

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Bake cornbread the day before; cool, crumble, and spread on a large baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to dry overnight. The next morning, transfer crumbled cornbread to a large bowl and stir in 2 cups of the chicken broth. Set aside to give breadcrumbs time to absorb liquid.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Chop enough sage leaves to make 2 Tbsp (loosely packed). Add chopped onion, celery, thyme, and sage to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to become translucent, about 3-5 minutes.

Pour the entire skillet of vegetables and melted butter over the moistened cornbread and combine thoroughly. Add salt and pepper; stir in more chicken stock, but not so much as to make the mixture soupy.

Stir chopped eggs into the cornbread mixture. Cover, and allow to sit while you work on the other holiday fixings. Occasionally stir the dressing and check for moistness, adding more broth as needed. Also check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste.

When ready to bake, transfer to a buttered 9-inch deep dish pie plate and bake at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.

Cornbread for Dressing:

1 cup white corn meal*

1 cup unbleached flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 400° and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment.

Combine corn meal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, butter, and milk, stirring until just combined.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately invert onto cooling rack.

* Check the ingredient list on the package to make sure you have 100% corn meal, not a corn meal mix.