Caramelized Onion & Cornbread Stuffing

I know that stuffing (in this case it was actually dressing) is more of a Thanksgiving staple than an Easter one, but we decided to do cornish hens for Easter this year - a departure from the ham and lamb we typically do, and needed a great dressing to accompany them.

When I found this Tyler Florence recipe, I knew that it would be delicious using my all time favorite corn bread/corn muffin recipe and would pair nicely with the hens.

This dressing was a huge hit with everyone. Even my sister who always refuses to eat stuffing/dressing, not only tried this but loved it and devoured it. I have a feeling this will be replacing the usually stuffin' muffins that I make at Thanksgiving.

You can use your own favorite corn bread recipe, but I really recommend using the one that I do. The corn muffins I used were sweet and have whole corn kernels in them. The sweetness of the corn muffins is a great counterpart to the caramelized onions and the corn kernels adds another texture to keep things interesting. The sage really plays off the sweetness of the muffins as well.

Caramelized Onion & Cornbread Stuffing

2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
7-8 cornmeal muffins, cubed
Handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over low-medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Add sage and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornbread pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss until it's well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together.

Stuff the cavity of the turkey. You could also spoon it into a buttered baking dish and put it in the oven along with the turkey. Bake until hot and crusty on top, about 30 minutes.