• Cuisine: American
• Course: Side Dish
• Features: Make-Ahead Recipes, Holiday (Thanksgiving)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces stale French baguette, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• Nonstick cooking oil spray
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 stalks celery, trimmed and cut crosswise into thin slices
• 2 large onions, cut into small dice
• 1 large carrot, cut into small dice
• 1 pint shucked fresh oysters with their liquor
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted, canned broth)
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the stale bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet, and spray them lightly with nonstick cooking oil spray. Bake on the middle oven rack for 10 to 15 minutes, turning them after 5 minutes, or until the cubes are toasted. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature before storing in a resealable plastic food storage bag.

If the stuffing is to be baked separately, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the celery, onions and carrot and cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables haven softened. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add the oysters and their liquor, the broth, herbs, parsley, salt (if using) and pepper; toss to mix well, then transfer to a casserole or use the mixture to stuff a turkey immediately before it is to be roasted.

Bake the stuffing in the separate casserole dish for 1 hour. Serve warm.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from Ellen Brown, author of "The Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook" (Bantam, 1989).

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