Mushroom Stuffing

A dry, herb-forward crumb stuffing of the sort the New Delineator expected a cook to adapt by feel. The proportions are sound, but the instruction "mix ingredients in the order given" leaves out two decisions worth making deliberately.

• Stale bread-crumbsThese are dry crumbs from day-old bread torn or grated, not the fine dried crumbs sold for breading. Three cups is roughly 5 to 6 oz; packaged breadcrumbs will absorb fat and liquid quite differently and give a pasty result.
• Cook the mushrooms firstHalf a cup of raw chopped mushrooms will release its water into the crumbs during roasting. Sweat them in the butter until the pan is dry, then combine, and the stuffing stays light rather than sodden.
• Butter or other fatSix tablespoons; melting it makes mixing easier. "Other fat" in a book of this period meant lard, drippings or vegetable shortening; any of these works, though butter carries the thyme best.
• SaltTwo teaspoons for three cups of crumbs is assertive by current taste. Start with one teaspoon and correct after the mushrooms go in.
• Powdered thymeFinely ground dried thyme, stronger by volume than the leaf form on most spice shelves. If using dried leaves, use closer to a full teaspoon and crumble them between your fingers.
• MoistureAs written the mixture is dry enough to be crumbly. For a stuffing that holds together, work in stock, milk or beaten egg a tablespoon at a time until it just clumps when pressed.
• YieldAbout three and a half cups, enough for a 4 to 5 lb chicken; scale up for a larger bird.
• TemperatureStuffing packed inside poultry must reach 165F at the center, which usually means checking the stuffing rather than only the bird. Baking it separately in a covered dish for 30 to 40 minutes at 350F avoids the problem entirely.