Ingredients
- 3 Slices bacon
- 2 Ounces chicken liver*
- 1 Cup shallots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 Cup carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 Cup celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 4 Cups day old brioche bread, cubed into 3/4-inch pieces
- 4 Ounces chestnuts, cooked, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 small Granny Smith apple, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 Cup California golden raisins
- 1/2 Cup California natural raisins
- 1/2 Cup chicken stock
- 4 Cups fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme; chopped
- Salt and pepper; to taste
Procedure
Render off bacon in sautépan until crisp. Remove bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Save bacon fat.
Sauté chicken liver; remove and pat dry; cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Save chicken fat.
Combine bacon fat and chicken fat into one pan and sauté shallots, carrots and celery until translucent; remove from fat. Save fat.
Combine all remaining ingredients except herbs, seasoning, chicken stock and fat in mixing bowl. Mix well. Add 1/3 of remaining fat, chicken stock and herbs into the mixture. Allow 30-45 minutes for all ingredients to infuse. Add seasoning to taste.
Roast in cavity of any poultry or bake in casserole dish at 350°F until top forms a crust and internal temperature at center is 165°F in either case.
Chef’s Note: This is a savory stuffing best suited for a lean meat, such as turkey, pheasant or pork loin. Continually basting the stuffing from the drippings will give stuffing an even fuller, richer taste and at the same time caramelize and crust the stuffing. If you wish to make stuffing more rich, change chicken liver to duck liver. The raisins give a nice somewhat sweet flavor to this very rich and savory stuffing.