Chef Jonathon Sawyer finishing a dish of brioche and apple stuffing in the Red Apron kitchen, apples, sage, thyme and parsley on the counter.
— october recipe

Sawyer Family
Stuffing

Chef Sawyer's grandmother's stuffing, with a few light changes. Brioche, apples, maitake mushrooms, sage and thyme, baked in its own dish so the turkey never has to overcook. It works for Thanksgiving and it works for Christmas.

serves4 to 6
prep20 min
cook1 hour

Ingredients

  • 4 cups brioche, 1 inch dice
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 3 celery stalks, 1 inch dice
  • 1 white onion, 1 inch dice
  • 1 bunch sage, chopped
  • 1 bunch thyme, picked
  • 1/2 apple, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 lb butter
  • 1 cup sliced maitake mushrooms
  • 1 cup chicken or turkey stock
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Method

  1. Heat the oven. 350 degrees.
  2. Brown the butter. In a large sauté pan over low heat, melt the butter until it starts to brown and smells nutty. Add the onion, celery, garlic and mushrooms, cover, and keep cooking on low until they are very soft but not caramelized. Fold in the apples. Set aside to cool enough to handle.
  3. Make the custard. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the bread, stock, cream, milk, eggs, sage, thyme and seasoning. Add the onion mixture and mix again. Want to get ahead? It can sit in the fridge overnight at this point.
  4. Bake it. Put everything in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes to crisp up the top.

This month's card

The October recipe card, front: Sawyer Family Stuffing ingredients.
The October recipe card, back: the method, step by step.
Written by Chef Sawyer and mailed to members this month.
— watch chef sawyer make it
this month's playlist

Chef Sawyer's
Christmas Mix

Yes, in October. Start with Must Be Santa.

listen on spotify

From Chef Sawyer

It's holiday season, sort of. It's time to start thinking about your holiday menus, and I wanted y'all to be a part of my family's celebration in a more meaningful way. So this month I'm sharing my grandmother's stuffing recipe, with some light modifications. Apples, brioche, herbs and mushrooms. It works for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As most of you know, stuffing a bird forces you to cook it past its perfect doneness so the stuffing is safe to eat. By the time the stuffing hits 165 degrees inside, the breast, leg and thigh are closer to 185. So this stuffing bakes in its own dish, and we make turkey stock from the necks, wings, wing tips and some chicken bones ahead of time to turkey its flavor up.

Stuffing is essential to every American Thanksgiving table, and that is where the music comes in. This month's playlist is Chef Sawyer's Christmas Mix, and yes, I know it's October. Starting Christmas music this early is polarizing. I don't care. I love it. Start with Mitch Miller's Must Be Santa, the polka adjacent Midwestern classic and the undisputed champion of Christmas songs. The playlist is not the largest, but all my faves are on it: David Bowie, the Chipmunks, John Lennon, the Pogues. Every house came up with its own traditions and its own soundtrack. This one is ours.

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