Q+A – Holiday Stuffing
If you’re anything like us, we’d happily give up real estate on our plate to what we consider the best part of a turkey dinner, the stuffing. Hotel Arts Group Executive Chef Quinn Staple shares his tips and tricks for a fantastic holiday stuffing.
Take us through the basic ingredients of your holiday stuffing.
A bread or dough, custard and a flavour profile.
Any surprising twists on your ingredients?
I usually make a smooth parsnip or celery root puree and make a custard out of that. It adds some great flavour. I sometimes put in goats cheese as well. I confit the turkey thigh and drum stick and shred it into the stuffing. That way you’re not overcooking the breast while waiting for the legs to finish. I also like to add dry turkey gravy power into the custard, it packs a massive flavour punch!
Stale Bread or Fresh?
Honestly either with work, I find you get better texture with fresh and with stale bread it is more one texture since the bread breaks down.
White or Brown?
I always lean towards a multigrain or dark flour. It just has way more flavour.
To stuff or not to stuff the bird?
Don’t stuff the bird… you end up having to cook the bird longer to hit the internal temperature needed to cook the stuffing.
What would you suggest for anyone hosting a GF guest?
Make a side dish of GF stuffing! You just need more custard and let it soak longer than regular bread.
Perfect idea for any leftovers?
I always carve and pick apart the whole bird after dinner and make stock overnight in my Crockpot or on the stove. In the morning, the house smells amazing and you can use all the leftovers for fresh turkey soup or a turkey pot pie for lunch or dinner. For me, the best part of leftovers is a turkey sandwich loaded with way too much Dijon mustard.
Take out Christmas Turkeys by Hotel Arts
This holiday season, we’re selling pre-made turkey dinners. Order here before December 20th.
You’ve worked, shopped & decorated. So, why not let Hotel Arts take over and cook your Christmas Turkey Meal that you can easily serve up at home. Turkeys come pre-sliced and are accompanied by all the traditional fixings. These can be ordered in increments of 4 and picked up on December 24th from Hotel Arts.
The full menu can be found here
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