I think I prefer Thanksgiving gravy more than the stuffing... together it's a perfect partnership. I like adding apples, walnuts, sausage etc.. for added flavor and texture.

Holiday Stuffing

Growing up, we generally had Thanksgiving stuffing prepared with diced, Italian sweet sausage, onions and Italian bread stuffed into the cavity of the turkey. I loved how moist the stuffing was and how the turkey juices flavored the stuffing. Nowadays, we prepare the stuffing outside of the turkey to avoid possible health concerns-the stuffing may prevent the turkey to reach 165 F and cause foodborne illness...


Prep Time: 3o min

Cooking Time: 30 min 

Ingredients

 Yield: 10 portions                                       

3 Tbsp       Butter, melted                                                                                            

2 Cups       Bread, small dice, toasted 


3 Tbsp       Butter, melted                                                   

1/2 Cup.    Onions, minced & sweated                                                           

1/2 Cup     Celery, minced & sweated     

1 ea             Apple, granny smith, peeled/cored & diced

1 sprig       Thyme, fresh, picked                                                

1/4 tsp.      Poultry seasoning                                                                           

1 Cup         Turkey stock                                                                                   

2 ea            Eggs                                                                                                       

t.t.               Salt                                                                                                                 

t.t.               Black pepper                                                       


How to prepare Stuffing

Step 1

Coat the croutons in melted butter and bake until lightly browned.      

Step 2

Sauté the onions and celery in butter for 3 minutes, add apples, season & cook an additional minute, cool.                         

Step 3

Mix the egg and turkey stock together.                                                       

Toss the celery, onions, apples, thyme, seasonins, croutons together in a bowl, pour the egg mixture on top and transfer to a buttered casserole dish.


Step 4

Bake at 350°F until lightly browned. 





Delicious suffings can also be prepared with diced, toasted croutons made with bagels, brioche, ciabatta, cornbread etc...

This is cornbread stuffing with carrots, celery, leeks & rosemary.


image of traditional paella

How Our Kitchens Have Lost Their Soul-What We’re Losing and Why It Matters

By Tom Griffiths • August 13, 2025
More and more the loss of technique and understanding of traditional ingredients is destroying the soul of American kitchens. But there is hope.

Beginners recipe: Pesto

By Tom Griffiths • July 17, 2025
I agreed to be the Chef Advisor for the Gourmet Society at the CIA, an amazing honor to work with some of the best and brightest students. We planned to demonstrate preparing pesto with a mortar and pestle and also with a food processor-then evaluate them both side by side. We all suspected that the food processor would aerate the pesto, possibly the heat generated would be a problem- One student brought in a molcajete, the traditional mortar from Mexico, made from volcanic rock used for grinding spices, making salsas, moles, etc... I'm not sure this was the preferred mortar and pestle to use, these days I often use a marble mortar and pestle and make small batches. The 'mortar and pestle' pesto was much more delicious than the food processor version at the CIA that day.

Beginners Recipe: Chicken Sauté

By Tom Griffiths • July 17, 2025
I was born to sauté... I remember thinking this and smiling when I finally made my way up in the kitchen brigade to the Saucier spot. I loved the pulse of the kitchen, working the saute station with a dozen sauté pans on the flat top, delicious stocks and mother sauces held hot in the steam table and carefully prepared mise en place so I could make delicious meals for the customers... one order or two at the time. Everything was cooked with love and respect.

Beginners recipe: Breakfast Muffins

By Tom Griffiths • July 15, 2025
I remember my days working as chef/manager for food service cafeterias. People loved muffins for breakfast! We used dry muffin mixes or large tubs of various, premade muffin batters; scooped the batter into muffin tins and made dozens of mini, regular and large sizes daily. I love topping the muffins with garnishes like oats, chocolate chips, streusel, nuts etc... Morning Glory was my favorite, I bet I baked thousands of muffins in my five years at Gardner Merchant! I think my 'go to' muffin is a delicious, corn muffin grilled with butter on a plancha-New Jersey diner style!

Beginners recipe: Tartar Sauce

By Tom Griffiths • July 8, 2025
I remember learning to make an emulsion sauce for called Rouille at Le Cirque. It's one of my favorites! Rouille is a delicious, classic French garlic mayonnaise served with bouillabaisse, a famous, French fish soup. I was taught to use EVOO, saffron, garlic etc... and cooked potato in the recipe. Other famous emulsion sauces include aioli, vinaigrettes, dressings, etc...

Dessert; Almond Biscotti Ends

By Tom Griffiths • July 2, 2025
Biscotti translates to 'twice baked' and apparently was a popular snack for Roman soldiers since the biscotti lasted for days without getting stale. I read Christopher Columbus had biscotti stored away on his voyage to America... In Tuscany, biscotti and vin santo is considered by many to be a perfect pairing. I enjoyed this combination at a cafe in Florence years ago... I love dipping crunchy biscotti into a cup of strong black coffee. 

How to Earn a Michelin Star in the USA

By Tom Griffiths • June 30, 2025
Discover the secrets to earning a Michelin star in the U.S. from Certified Master Chef Tom Griffiths. Learn insider criteria, real examples, and expert tips to help elevate your restaurant’s culinary excellence.

Consommé Florial

By Tom Griffiths • June 23, 2025
The Classical French cooking segment during the CMC exam was extremely difficult for me! Although the format changes slightly from exam to exam, I was required to prepare C onsommé Florial; a baked, Dover Sole course and Roasted Lamb chops with pistachio forcemeat for 10 people-with appropriate sides and sauces. It was probably the hardest day of the 10 day exam for me. I sourced frozen peas (fresh peas were not in season) for the consommé and completely forgot to use them as garnish for my soup! I barely passed that day and managed to totally annoy one of the nicest CMC evaluators... never a smart thing to do! But I still love preparing and eating delicious consommé-great satisfaction when it comes out crystal clear.

Dessert; Spring Rhubarb & Blueberry Crisp

By Tom Griffiths • June 12, 2025
I think my favorite cobbler was a recipe I developed with Chef Joshua Mackintosh for an ACF student chef competition. We used raspberries, blueberries, strawberries & dark chocolate chips for the filling. It was delicious. Josh came in second place... hmmm \I'm not sure I agreed with that evaluation! hahaha

Hiring and Managing a High-Performing Team

By Tom Griffiths • May 19, 2025
How to build high performing teams that work hard, work together, and inspire each other to do great things. Insights from Certified Master Chef, Thomas Griffiths.