A couple of years ago around this time, I turned a disastrous Veal and Apricot Galantine into a quite tasty cornbread dressing that makes an unusual but delicious side to Thanksgiving turkey. In theory, the dish was supposed to be a twist on a classic French galantine — ground veal mixed with aromatic spices, tender dried apricots, cream and a touch of brandy, all wrapped up in cheesecloth, gently poached and served cold, sliced over salad greens. Kind of a fancy, fussy cousin to a country pate. Well, it was a complete mess — the cheesecloth I had was too wide-meshed, most of the liquid leaked out into the poaching water, and the resulting dish was a crumbly, pale, unappealing wreck.

After resisting the impulse to thrown the whole damn thing away, I made a quick run to my local Whole Foods, picked up a couple of bags of prepared cornbread (it was right around Thanksgiving), some Italian sausage and a bunch of fresh sage and managed to mix the whole thing up into a moist, rich, flavorful dressing. It was a gratifying moment of a Southern home cook triumphing over a near-defeat at the hands of the French. And cheesecloth…

Recipe: Cornbread Dressing with Veal, Sausage & Apricots
Serves 8-10 as a side

8 ounces dried apricots
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 pound ground veal
4 ounces fresh breadcrumbs
3 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
1/2 cup cream
8 cups crumbled prepared cornbread
3 Tablespoons minced fresh sage
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
chicken stock
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bring a small kettle of water to a boil. Roughly chop dried apricots, add enough hot water to cover, and let stand while you prepare other ingredients.

In a large skillet in a small amount of oil, cook crumbled sausage until cooked through, adding ground veal about half way through. When both are completely cooked, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in fresh breadcrumbs, tarragon and cream. Mix thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine crumbled cornbread with meat mixture, sage and pecans. Drain apricots and add to mixture. Stir in beaten eggs. Add enough chicken stock to moisten — amount will depend on if you want crumbly dressing or not. Season well with salt and pepper.

Bake about 30 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Wine Pairing:This is delicious with Viognier, though it’s versatile enough to work with most whites and light reds.