Can you help me fix my sourdough dressing?

November 26, 2014 8:15 PM

I am doing some pre-cooking for tomorrow, and hit a snag. The recipe I used for dressing was one loaf of cubed sourdough bread, some sauteed-in-butter celery/onion/green apple, fresh parsley, thyme, salt and pepper, and baked with turkey broth and eggs. The result is a dressing slightly too tangy and without much interest. Hoping you can help.

As it stands, the sourdough bread just kind of overpowers the dish and the tart apples add to the tartness.

The dressing isn't a sold baked mass and needs more time, so I can fold in some new ingredient- but what? Raisins might be too sweet. Sauteed mushrooms, maybe? That doesn't sound appealing to me, for some reason. I have cranberries on hand, but we already have cranberry sauce. Pecans? Eh. I am thinking diced dried figs for sweetness (but not too much) and toasted pine nuts -?

Any suggestions are so appreciated. Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

posted by Ink-stained wretch to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Best answer: I'm kind of just spitballing here, but I think you need some bitter-ish or just non-tart herbs for balance. Sage is classic in dressing, and while not bitter, I can see it cutting through some tartness in a way that thyme cannot. Maybe rosemary?

With apples, it kind of seems like this dressing will already be fairly sweet. I'd be looking to amp up flavor without going to sweetness.

It is also possible it just needs to be seasoned more (meaning salt and pepper). Seriously, lack of salt really kills dishes.
posted by jeoc at 8:20 PM on November 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

Maple syrup, perhaps. But check your salt levels first. Seems to me like caraway would add an incredible dimension here that naturally pairs with tangy.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:47 PM on November 26, 2014

When in doubt, add a half to a full teaspoon of salt and see where that gets you. Pepper next. Then a bit of sugar if it's still too tart.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:49 PM on November 26, 2014 [3 favorites]

Cream or some other fat (more butter? Browned butter?) to temper the sour a bit and some dried cranberries or other toasted nuts? I think that walnuts would be GREAT with this! And more salt and pepper.
posted by hellomiss at 8:52 PM on November 26, 2014

My first thought was salt too. Everything else sounds great. More salt.
posted by Sportswriters at 9:41 PM on November 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Maybe add some more bread with a balancing flavor. Personally I use half sourdough and half pumpernickel, but whole wheat is good too. Also agreeing that lackluster flavor means it probably needs more salt.
posted by ottereroticist at 10:07 PM on November 26, 2014

Response by poster: Salt made a huge difference! That and sage. Thanks, all!
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 10:53 PM on November 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

Craisins would work amazingly in that stuffing too!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:58 AM on November 27, 2014 [1 favorite]