Cranberry apple stuffing

This cranberry apple stuffing is easy to make with a delicious mix of savory herbs and gently sweet bursts of fruit, all nestled into a bread base that's part pillow soft, part crisp. It makes a great addition to festive and many other meals.

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Being from the UK, Thanksgiving isn't something I grew up with, but it was pretty easy to adopt, especially given the meal is largely what I grew up eating for Christmas. It's almost like a practice run, and without the need to think about presents (definitely a bonus).

Our festive traditions

I know traditions vary, and like many, we tend to make some things that are more typical and others that are less so. We always have cranberry sauce, and dessert is pumpkin pie from scratch at Thanksgiving. Main-wise we usually go for roast duck rather than turkey since we are a smaller group (and prefer it).

One other non-negotiable is stuffing. For our family, we always have to have my rutabaga, date and bacon stuffing as it's a firm favorite (and delicious).  Then, we may add in another, depending on how hungry everyone seems and if I feel like I have time.

When it comes to stuffing, this is probably where my British roots come through. My sense is stuffings in the UK tend to be heartier than many in the US. So think meaty offerings like my fennel, pork and prune stuffing, sausage stuffing or the more French-style chestnut stuffing I always loved my mum making when I was little.

More recently I figured I'd try a slightly lighter stuffing, maybe a little more bread-heavy as is the US style. That said, I didn't want to just eat bread - there needed to be flavor in there too. And this herby cranberry apple version hit the mark, with it's tasty mix of gently sweet and savory flavors.

What kind of apples are best?

You can use a few different varieties in here, depending on whether you prefer a more tart flavor like Granny Smith, or more sweet-tart like Gala, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. All of those would work well. Here I used Gala.

I would just recommend you go for a relatively firm apple so they hold their form rather than go to mush when cooked.

What type of bread should you use?

With the bread, too, you can be relatively flexible to suit what you have and prefer. I recommend a white bread rather than wholegrain, but a nice bakery-style loaf rather than sliced white will give a better texture and taste. 

I'd recommend something like a sourdough or French-style bread. While you can use the crusts, they can be tough to eat, so I generally trim them off. I find the overall texture better that way. As a result, larger slices give you more to use (ie a baguette is probably not the best). 

The big thing that's key with whatever bread you use is you want to dry out the bread - slightly stale is best. Why? Because fresh bread will soak up the liquid more and become mushy or disintegrate rather than hold its shape. 

If your bread is not a day or two old, you can help it along in a few ways - 

• Leave the bread out on the counter for a few hours, either as whole slices or chopped, to dry out.
• Dice the bread then dry out in a low oven - around 300F/150C for about 20 minutes is probably enough. Then, let it sit to cool and dry further. 

Ways to adapt this stuffing

This recipe keeps things relatively simple, which works well as it is, but you can easily add in a few things based on your tastes. Some ideas include:

• Add some sausage or ground pork - just brown it, then add it in once the onion base has softened.
• Mix in some additional (or different) dried fruit - dried prunes or apricots both pair well with apples and savory flavors too, plus dried cherries could also be good.
• Add some nuts - chopped walnuts or slithered/flaked almonds would work well here to add some crunch.
• Change up the veggie base - while onion and celery work really well as a base for this, you could also add in some leek instead of onion, or as well. Fennel is always good with apple and some diced winter squash or parsnips can add more bulk, color and soft texture if you want a less bread-based stuffing.

This cranberry apple stuffing is a simple and tasty mix that is a great additIon to many a meal. It pairs particularly well with poultry and pork (we had it with ham) but could work with other mains too. It's relatively light (as bready things and stuffings go), but also full of comforting herb and fall flavors. A great addition to many a meal.

Try these other tasty sides:

• Sauteed French green beans with shallots and garlic
• Butternut squash wild rice salad with cranberries, fennel and a bright orange dressing
• Maple roasted parsnips
• Dauphinoise potatoes cooked in cream with garlic and thyme
• Plus get more Holiday recipes and side dishes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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