In this savory dressing, homemade cream biscuits stand in for the traditional bread, while crispy bacon adds delicious smoky flavor. For the biscuit recipe, click on the link at left.

Ingredients:

Twelve 4-inch cream biscuits, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 lb. sliced smoky bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 yellow onions, diced

5 celery stalks, diced

8 oz. white button mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

5 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.
Spread the biscuits out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
In a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Pour off all but 3 Tbs. of the fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage and thyme and cook until the celery is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the bacon to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the biscuits and stock and stir to combine.
Transfer the dressing to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the dressing is lightly browned, about 20 minutes more. Serves 10.

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Cream Biscuits

Delicious on their own, these biscuits can also be transformed into a savory dressing that makes a wonderful accompaniment to roast turkey (see related recipe at left).

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. sugar

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 425°F.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the cream and stir until no lumps remain.
For each biscuit, drop 1/4 cup batter onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing the biscuits about 1 inch apart. Bake until the tops of the biscuits are pale golden and the bottoms are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.