Rye and Juniper Dressing
Rye and Juniper Dressing is both savory and sweet, made from Swedish Rye Bread, prunes, and caramelized apples and fennel.
Dressing, or stuffing, is often the favorite part of a holiday meal. What is the difference? Stuffing indicates that it has been “stuffed” into a bird, cut of meat, or some other vessel. Dressing is the same mix of ingredients, just baked separately. When it comes to turkey, I prefer to leave mine un-stuffed for quicker and more even cooking. The secret to making good dressing is to add some of the pan drippings from the bird at the end!
The Ingredients for Rye and Juniper Dressing:
This is a Scandinavian-style dressing, so I used some of my Swedish Rye Bread as the base. The caraway, anise, and fennel in this bread add a lot of flavor that works well with the additional ingredients of fresh fennel, celery, shallots, garlic, and orange. Apples and prunes add sweetness and the juniper berries give the dressing its distinctive and savory flavor.
The Process:
Whether you use Swedish Rye Bread or another rye, cut the bread into cubes and toast until crunchy and dry. Use a zester to remove some of the outer rind of the orange. This imparts a lot of flavor from just a tiny bit of zest.
Sauté the vegetables and apples in butter with the orange zest, crushed juniper berries, and fresh thyme.
Season with salt and pepper. I like using Flora Fungi Fauna Juniper Salts in this recipe to add extra juniper flair.
Add enough chicken stock or broth to moisten the ingredients and check the final seasoning. Transfer to a buttered casserole dish. Isn’t this Dansk casserole gorgeous??
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Serve the Rye Juniper Dressing with Aquavit Brined Turkey or other roast meats. Happy Holidays!
Rye Juniper Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 pound Swedish or other rye bread, cubed
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 sticks celery, chopped
- 1 small head fresh fennel, cored and chopped
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- ½ cup dried prunes, sliced thin
- 2 teaspoons dried juniper berries, crushed
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- Zest from 1 large orange, minced
- Chicken stock or broth, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Bake the bread cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet until lightly toasted and dry. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped vegetables, apples, prunes, juniper berries, thyme, and zest. Cook over medium heat until starting to caramelize.
- Add rye cubes to pan and enough stock or broth to moisten (but not make soggy).
- Transfer the dressing to a buttered casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden and crispy on top.
- Remove from oven. If serving with roast turkey or other meat, add some of the pan drippings to the dressing to create a "stuffed" effect!
One Comment