Sandy Ingber’s Grand Central Oyster Bar Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing

From John Cirillo, 212-972-5337, johnnycigarpr@aol.com If you are looking for a “pearl” of a stuffing in your holiday bird, the Grand Central Oyster Bar executive chef Sandy Ingber (a.k.a. The Bishop of Bivalves) offers his version of “Oyster Thanksgiving Stuffing from the OB.” The Oyster is located “below sea level” in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal (www.oysterbarny.com). Here is the recipe which yields stuffing for one turkey

Preparation Time : 20-30 mins

Cooking Time : 45-60 mins

Serves : 10-12

Ingredients:

1 loaf of white bread, cut into ½" cubes

2 cups medium diced Spanish onions

1 cup med diced celery

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ cup chicken stock

¼ cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

24 pieces of shucked Bluepoint oysters

Method:

1) Dry cut bread cubes overnight or toast in a low temp oven until crisp. Melt ½ the butter in a medium skillet. Add onions and celery, cooking until onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, thyme and nutmeg; cook for 30 seconds more.

2) Combine cooked vegetables with bread cubes, parsley, stock, milk and eggs, mixing gently. Fold in Oysters. Season with salt and pepper. This stuffing can be made up to 2 days in advance. If not stuffing into poultry for roasting, transfer mixture to a large oiled baking dish, dot surface with pats of remaining butter. Take a piece of wax paper and lightly oil both sides and place of top of stuffing. Bake in a 350 degree oven until crisp on top and stuffing temperature reaches 160 degrees.