Wild Rice & Cornbread Stuffing with Pears & Cranberries

This all-American stuffing combines southern cornbread, New England dried cranberries, and wild rice from the Great Lakes.

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup apple cider or pear cider
• 1 recipe Buttermilk Cornbread, broken into chunks
• 4 cups cooked wild rice (start with 1 cup raw rice)
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/2 lb. (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 scallions, trimmed, white parts chopped
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
• 1 Tbs. kosher salt; more to taste
• 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; more to taste
• 1 cup homemade or lower-salt canned chicken broth; more as needed

Plump the dried cranberries in the cider by warming them both in a saucepan or in the microwave and letting them stand for about 5 minutes. Drain the cranberries, reserving them and the cider separately.

In a large bowl, toss the cornbread, cooked wild rice, diced pears, melted butter, parsley, scallions, sage, garlic, and the drained cranberries. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir in the broth plus half of the reserved cider.

To bake the stuffing on its own:

Heat the oven to 350°F. Transfer the stuffing to a buttered casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, adding a little more broth if it seems dry. If you prefer a crunchier top to your stuffing, remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

To bake the stuffing in the turkey:

Loosely stuff the front and back cavities of a 12- to 13-lb. turkey. Put the remaining stuffing in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake alongside the turkey for the last 45 min. of roasting.