Gluten Free Cornbread Dressing

Update:  after making this recipe again yesterday, I discovered that the dressing turned out better when I added an additional cup of chicken stock (4 cups total, instead of 3), and when I had the oven on 400 degrees from the beginning of the cooking time and allowed the dressing to bake for a full 50 minutes (instead of starting off at 325 degrees for 40 minutes and then upping the temp to 425 degrees for five minutes).   This info may prove to be pretty important...

Eric and I get a Thanksgiving redo this year.  Our friends have been at the beach for the holiday, so tonight we plan to serve them turkey and dressing for Saturday Supper Club.  Since there are two gluten-intolerant individuals who will be dining at this dinner (myself and Kris), I will be making gluten free cornbread dressing.  I basically took my old cornbread recipe and my old dressing recipe and replaced or took out any ingredient that was glutenous.  So, for the sake of my gluten free friends, I thought I’d share the recipes.

Cornbread

2T. unsalted butter

1 ½ c. gluten free cornmeal

1t. kosher salt

¾ t. baking soda

2c. Buttermilk (or undiluted evaporated milk)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preaheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place butter in cast-iron skillet; put skillet into oven until butter is melted and bubbly.  Combine all of the dry ingredients.  Whisk in buttermilk (or milk) and eggs.  Pour melted butter into batter and whisk.  Pour batter into still-hot skillet.  Bake 25-30 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean).  Cool for 10 minuets before loosening from skillet.  Turn out onto plate.

Cornbread Dressing

1 pan of cornbread (see above)

8T. unsalted butter, plus some for dish

1 ¾ c. chopped celery (with some tops)

1 ¼ c. yellow onion, chopped

¾ kosher salt

1/4t. ground pepper

1T. oven-dried sage

3 eggs, beaten

3 c. hot chicken broth (Swanson's is safe...may need a little less, may need a little more)

Break cornbread into pieces (crumble).  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Melt 5T butter in skillet.  Cook onion, celery, salt and pepper in butter (about 10-15 minutes).  Do not brown.  Stir in sage; set aside to cool.  Once the onion mixture is cool, stir into cornbread.  Stir in beaten eggs and hot broth.  Melt remaining butter and stir in until everything is mixed well. Mixture will be soupy.  Pour into buttered baking dish.  Bake 40 minutes.  Increase heat to 425 degrees for 5 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before dishing up.  Serves 12.

Happy two days after Thanksgiving, y'all!