Shrimp & Ham Cornbread Stuffing

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Shrimp & Ham Cornbread Stuffing

Serves 8-10

7 tablespoons salted butter, plus for baking dish
1 pound ham, in one piece, 3/8-inch dice (I used a Hormel ham steak)
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
6 cups stale cornbread cubes (recipe below), 1/2-inch (I chilled cornbread for 24 hours)
8 cups stale white bread cubes, 1/2-inch
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9×13 or 3-quart baking dish.

Note: If white bread is soft and moist, place on baking sheet and dry in oven for 5 minutes. Turn cubes over with spatula and dry for 5-10 more minutes until firm and starting to brown.

2. Melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a huge skillet or Dutch oven. Add the ham and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. It may exude juice, but keep cooking until it evaporates and the ham browns.

3. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, tarragon, thyme and Old Bay, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.

4. In a very large bowl (I used a 16-inch diameter), whisk the eggs and parsley. Add the cornbread cubes, white bread cubes and shrimp. With a large spoon or spatula, fold until egg is coating all ingredients and none is left in bottom of bowl.

5. Pour broth/veg mixture over bread cubes and fold in, making sure all cubes are moistened and no liquid is left in bottom of bowl. Try not to break up the cornbread cubes too much.

6. Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish and dot with remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

8. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until top is golden.

.

Sage Brown Butter Cornbread Hash with Poached Eggs

For each serving:

1 1/2 cups leftover Cornbread Stuffing
1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
6 small fresh sage leaves

1 poached egg
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium sauté pan, melt butter over low heat. Add sage leaves and cook until sizzling and crisp, but still green. Remove to paper towel lined plate.

2. Continue to cook butter until golden and bits on the bottom are browned. Skim froth from butter and discard. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon in a small bowl and reserve to drizzle over egg.

3. Crumble dressing into pan and sauté over medium low heat until starting to brown.

4. While stuffing is cooking, make poached egg by your favorite method. Drain on paper towel near sage.

5. Place browned stuffing on plate and top with poached egg. Salt and pepper egg to taste. Drizzle reserved brown butter and crisp sage leaves over egg and serve.

.

Soft Buttery Northern Style Cornbread

10-inch Cast Iron Skillet

450 degrees F

1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
½ cup AP flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg beaten
1 ½ cups buttermilk
½ cup salted butter melted in a small bowl, cooled slightly

¼ cup salted butter melted in a 2^nd small bowl

1. Put a 10-inch well-seasoned cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk and ½ cup melted butter.

4. **Take the skillet out of the oven.**

5. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and quickly stir together.

6. Pour the 1/4 cup melted butter into the skillet and tilt to coat the bottom.

7. Pour the batter into the skillet. Do not tilt. Some butter will be on top of the batter.

8. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Tester will come out clean.

9. Using a long metal spatula partially under cornbread to guide, move the pan slowly into a nearly vertical position while you are sliding the cornbread out onto a cutting board.

Note: This cornbread freezes beautifully. Cut it into serving-size pieces and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Place all wrapped pieces in a large ziplock freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat in microwave, partially unwrap plastic from each piece, leaving only the top of the cornbread exposed. Do not reheat on high. Use medium or low setting, heating until cornbread is hot throughout but still soft. Too high heat or for too long will make a hard dry area in the middle of the cornbread.