Cornbread and Gorgonzola Dressing

Submitted by Jenni2

"A special favorite for Thanksgiving and or Christmas dressing. A combination of cornbread and baguette bread with gorgonzola is a special hearty bread like combination, you can't go wrong with using both cornbread and baguette. A cross between a dressing and a savory bread pudding. Originally the recipe was published in the Sunset magazine, November 2006."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 40mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 78.78 ml butter
• 354.88 ml flour
• 118.29 ml cornmeal (cornbread mix)
• 78.78 ml sugar
• 14.79 ml baking powder
• 7.39 ml salt
• 1242.09 ml milk
• 8 large eggs
• 113.39 g dried porcini mushrooms
• 59.14 ml butter
• 2 leeks, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 4 fresh sage leaves, minced (fresh sage)
• 340.19 g baguette, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
• 283.49 g gorgonzola cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350'. Butter two 9 by 13" baking dishes. Set aside. In small saucepan over low heat, melt 1/3 cup butter. Set aside and cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, adn 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir in 1 1/4 cups milk, 2 eggs, and melted butter. Pour batter into buttered baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool and then cut cornbread into bite size pieces. Cornbread will be somewhat flat and I store overnight in plastic bag.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, soak procini in 1 3/4 cups hot water for 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer procini to a cutting board and roughly chop. Reserve porcini and soaking liquid.
4. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in a large frying pan over medium high-heat. Add leeks, garlic, shallots, porcini, sage, and remaining 1 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring, until leeks and shallots are soft, about 5 minutes or so. Carefully pour in porcini liquid, leaving behind any grit at the bottom of the bowl.
5. In a very large bowl, whisk together remaining 4 cups milk and 6 eggs. Stir in leek mixture. Add baguette cubes and stir. Add cornbread cubes and fold gently to mix. Transfer to second buttered baking dish and break gorgonzola into small pieces while scattering over the top. Bake until set, about 40 minutes. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If testing for doneness I think the dairy should temp at 140'. This year I doubled the recipe and all was fine but in oven it did require further cooking for the egg mixture to fill up the bread pieces. Nice to have a toasty top and you will see the bread kind of swell up.
6. Hope you enjoy!