Stuffing

From StoneHome

Stuffing is a very personal thing; everyone's got their own Best Recipe On Earth™. Whereas I would not presume to say what actually works best, I can help clarify the lines along which decisions are made, so that one has a better toolset with which to experiment and find one's own preferences. Furthermore, I can pass on a few personal favorites.

Please note that I'm using the phrase stuffing in the very American way of referring to a filling with which to stuff meat, most often but not always a bird with a natural cavity. I don't presume to discuss the entire category of things which go inside other things in cooking; this does not, for example, apply to the stuffing in stuffed grape leaves, pasta shells, nor even the very small volumes of stuffing involved in things like stuffed pork chops. This article is primarily about large volumes of stuffing in a whole or nearly-whole roast animal.

Please also note that if one is in the situation of having vegetarians at a family gathering which want to eat vegetarian things which look like meat foods (you know the type: they bring tofurkey to Thanksgiving, not-dogs to ballgames, and veggie burgers to cookouts, then tirelessly pimp them to anyone which will listen,) then one is not out of luck: it's actually relatively straightfoward to make something resembling stuffing for the fanatics which want to believe they're eating things from which they very loudly abstain.

How Stuffing Works

Stuffing is a medley flavor dish. It relies on the peculiar environment provided by the surrounding meat to get an unusual texture which is difficult to otherwise replicate; it is my personal belief that those people which attempt to make just stuffing without a bird by using broth are kidding themselves.

What the difference is

Stuffing in an animal is provided an extremely moist environment which can allow very high indirect temperatures, and a natural mechanism for recirculation (fluid convection in the meat, especially with regards to the pan drippings where caramels collect.) Poultry in particular does this job very well, due to a natural shape which promotes convection; immediate contact between the stuffing and bone, which radiates heat very well; long-fiber meat with strong tendencies towards capillary action. Because stuffing is characteristically done with meaty, at least somewhat large birds like turkeys and chickens, the stuffing can often be constantly trickle-basted with very large amounts of high-grease liquid for hours at a time, giving a very thorough blend of flavors (going even as far as to carry the flavor out of nuts and hard seeds.)

As a result, everything picks up everything else's flavor: the fruit tastes like bread, the bread tastes like meat, the meat tastes like fruit, and everything tastes like spices. This means that all of the flavors must be both individually and in broad view complimentary; that balance is the most common difference between good and good-enough stuffings, and is often the underlying benefit of a given family recipe. Especially important, and often overlooked, is the flavor impact of the stuffing on the meat itself; whatever meat is being roasted will be profoundly changed by what's placed in its guts, and knowing that allows a chef to change the flavor of a roast dramatically.

How to use that behavior

In general, one wants a carefully selected balance of flavors in a stuffing. A good rule of thumb is one richly flavored starch (pumpernickel, stale cornbread, grain or rye as bread,) two or at most three complimentary dry vegetable flavors (bell peppers, celery, radish, etc,) one or two sweet vegetable flavors (carrots, onions, okra, etc,) two or three complimentary pungents (herbs, spices, flower petals, seeds,) and a characteristic sweet fruit (traditionally apple, pear, currant, cranberry or cherry, though many other things work well.) Some people add a strong oil source like a soft nut (pignolias, pine nuts, sunflower seeds) shredded meat (most commonly bacon or sausage; occasionally, the giblets or oysters of the meat being stuffed) or an oily fruit (olives, corn, wax beans.) Frequently, a dusky flavor is added (mushrooms, toasted nutmeats or seeds, sundried vegetables.) Some people add binders, like an egg yolk, a tiny amount of corn starch or lotus root powder; others believe the bread already does well enough.

Frequently, broth, wine or stock is added to the stuffing before putting it into the bird, both to bring moisture closer into parity with the bird, and to prevent uneven distribution of drippings (dry stuffing soaks the drippings from the top, making the top much soggier than the bottom and preventing a lot of the early circulation of flavor before cooking has set in; this is not desirable.) The stuffing shouldn't be wet, exactly, or even as moist as the raw bird; it should be moist enough that if you poured a bit of wine on the top, red would appear on the bottom without a long wait, and no wetter. If stuffing a cold bird, as opposed to a room-temperature bird, add a little bit of extra broth, because the cold bird won't soak the juices up very well, and so more of the early fluid will be immediate pan drippings than otherwise.

It is common to set the bird on top of other things in order to pick up their flavor. Alternate vegetable aromatics than those in the stuffing can provide a very compelling flavor, as they'll flavor the meat far more than the internal stuffing; if the vegetables on the outside compliment but are significantly distinct from those in the stuffing, the resulting flavor in the meat can be quite surprising. Similarly, it is common to put a bouquet de garnis or a faggot underneath the bird, to pull up complimentary aromatic flavors; a very effective example flavor combination which is often overlooked is a cinnamon sprig in the center of the stuffing and a clove layer beneath the bird.

And what about the meat?

Well, given the above recipe guidelines, one has introduced between six and fourteen flavors to the meat from its inside. Fewer is better; too many flavors can confuse the palatte and muddy what would otherwise be a strong and characteristic reparté. If the stuffing inside is successfully single-minded, a second group of flavors can be introduced almost seperately to the meat by setting down a layer of vegetables underneath or in the stead of a drippings rack. If the meat is in contact with the vegetables underneath, then the capillary fluid systems in the meat and in the carmel layer at the bottom of the pan will be connected; the "roasted" flavor in the meat will be stronger, and flavor exchange with the vegetables beneath will include the stuffing and the meat.

If, on the other hand, one uses a drippings rack tall enough to seperate the vegetables underneath from the meat above, then things are different: there is no capillary action between the bird and the caramels underneath. The roasted flavor is imparted far more strongly onto the vegetables underneath, and only the skin of the bird - and therefore the surface meat through oil exchange, but far less into the stuffing - picks up any flavor of the vegetables underneath, all by convection and steam exchange. (This effect can easily be tested and understood with very characteristic flavors in the bottom pan like hot peppers, anise, crushed roasted chestnut or cherries.)

Another important technique with roasts is spearing the skin. This is more effective with seared meats than with skinned meats, but works for both. Flavors can be imparted extremely strongly into the meat by slicing it before the cooking has begun at very shallow angles with a simple knife insertion, making as small a pocket as possible. Into that pocket one may place flavors which are therefore directly in the capillary flow of the meat. This requires that the meat be seared afterwards, to seal the cut before it leaks all the meat's juices; this is why the technique works better with surface seared meat, as the skin can make searing difficult for novices. This technique is often used to put garlic into essentially any meat, or stronger flavors like clove, anise or celery seed into red meats. For nonporous flavorers like clove, crack the hulls first. For vegetable matter like garlic, a thinner slice used more often is preferable to a thicker slice placed more sparely: the flavor is more evenly distributed and the capillary flow is less obstructed.

Okay, so what does this gain me?

Right. So, now one has a sense of the basic balances which go into a stuffing. Next comes what to do with that knowledge. Stuffing is a big undertaking, and is frequently associated with the centerpiece roast of a large dinner; as such, because it's so intimately connected with the centerpiece, it gains a sort of ancillary centerpiece status. To that end, when planning a large meal I believe it important to plan the stuffing last; it can be used to bring the roast into line with the surrounding dishes, creating a more unified dinner even when accosted with fifteen to twenty dishes.

Examples make the principle more obvious, so I'll close with an example of stuffing used to unify the theme of a small dinner.

Intimate Elegant Dinner For Two

Think romance: one potential partner in a young couple hopes to woo the other with a quiet, private setting where one impresses upon the other a sense of provision and social grace, and possibly an artistic flair. Typically, only a very few dishes will be provided, each in small quantities and arranged in a visually appealing fashion. Certain meals are rare, expensive and carry connotation of sophistication, such as quail and cornish game hen; other meals can be made cosmopolitan through a careful selection of recipe. A private portion stuffed dish, done well, is often seen as extremely cosmopolitan. Witness the plan:

• Stuffed winter ptarmigan under port, served with a Becker Douxelles and cranberry jelly
• Steamed asparagus and baby carrots under garlic and sherry butter
• Sculpted browned baked mashed yam
• Infused wild rice with green peas, diced red bell pepper and scrambled egg
• A side salad of tomato pieces, snow-pea halves and toasted pine nuts under balsemic vinegar, olive oil and lemon or tangerine juice
• A moderate red wine such as a merlot or a shiraz
• Handmade black silk ice cream with coffee glaze, fresh banana, blueberry or strawberry slices and vanillaed whipped cream

Kay. So, let's take the plan on. Remembering that food's appearance matters, we begin by considering the layout. No dips or glazes are nessecary, but one should have a spread dish available for each the douxelles and jelly, or be prepared to place them side by side in the same dish. There aren't any primarily dark foods, so square black plates will set a strong contrast and make the food look brighter; therefore, add a bit of acid (preferably lemon juice) to the water when boiling the asparagus to keep their green strong.

The ptarmigan is also called a snow grouse, and should be available at least by special order at any better grocery store; failing that, consider partridge or wood pigeon, or for people which appreciate the strength of venison, perhaps woodcock. I will proceed with the plan assuming ptarmigan is available.

Appearance-wise, we have a center area with the following colors: a golden brown bird, a green and orange vegetable strip area; a light yellow and wood brown area with bits of red, green and yellow; an earth-toned orange to brown piece in a visible sculptured shape (tradition demands a rose.) To one side will be a red, green and tan salad; to the other either a brown or dark red paste. Given a black square on its corner, one visually appealing arrangement might be to place the bird at the toward corner of the plate, and the asparagus and carrots in a dividing line across the diamond; the rice at the away corner of the plate, the yam flower at the right and a large green parsley sprig at the left; the salad next to the plate on the right and the sauce for the bird on the left; the stuffing still in the bird. To that end, the stuffing should be visually distinct from the bird. Visually, an appearance with mixed earth tones and both reds and either oranges or greens would blend well with every dish at hand.

As far as textures go, there's a grain/fiber partially mitigated with vegetable and egg, a moderate amount of mildly fatty meat, a moderate amount of vegetable matter, a smooth sweet starch with dairy, a sweet fruit/vegetable/nutmeat mix (the salad,) a sweet jelly and a mushroom paste. That's a fairly broad textural palatte; the stuffing can go pretty much anywhere but cold or oily and fit in, but something incorporating many of those textures will do better than something with only a few.

With respect to flavors, we've got a tangy sweet, a dusky/floral, a mild vegetable, a cleansing moderate fiber with vegetable and protien flavors, a sweet dairy starch and a sweet/sour/crisp side salad, plus a heavy floral beverage and however the meat is altered. That's not too god-awful a range of flavors to cover, but it's also not easy.

In this small meal, the stuffing as its own dish would increase the percieved effort and value of the meal without increasing its volume (remember that overfeeding in an intimate dinner is a mistake.) To do variety and still fit in, provide analogs of the existing flavors. To match the floral in the wine and the douxelles, and the color in the red bell pepper, add rose and violet petals. To match the sweet in the cranberry, tomato, snow peas and carrot, add something sweet to the stuffing; to match the color of the egg, pine nuts and rice and the texture of the tomatoes, consider corn in the stuffing. To in order to match the color of the asparagus, peas, snow peas and parsley and the musky flavor of the mushrooms, consider lentils or chick-peas in the stuffing; to broaden that flavor and match both the texture and appearance of the rice, consider also adding walnuts. To visually contrast the stuffing from the bird, use a very dark bread, such as pumpernickel, and a very colorful fruit, such as cherry or mandarin orange. In that small a bird, egg would be a mistake; there wouldn't be enough cracks to continue flow.

Serve the ice cream afterwards to cleanse the palette, possibly with kirschwasser or grand mariner.