This Thanksgiving, We'll Take Our Stuffing In Ice Cream

Where there’s been a bird, there’s been a stuffing. As to what’s historically been stuffed in that bird depends on where you’re from. Stuffing, dressing, or whatever your family is inclined to call it typically features a base of bread, rice, nuts, corn, potatoes, or oysters. We love experimenting with the versatility of this ubiquitous fall dish every November. This year, we went with toasty, sweet cornbread cookies. A predominant and affordable grain in the South, corn first found its way into bready stuffing there, though word of its deliciousness eventually spread. Which color cornmeal to use and whether to add sugar continue to be hotly debated topics among different regions. For our cornbread stuffing, we cream sugar with loads of butter, then add a mix of sweet corn powder and stone-ground yellow cornmeal to make toothsome, hearty cookies. We bake them to a deep brown—in 60-pound batches—to maintain their dense texture when frozen. For that quintessential stuffing profile, we drop the cornbread into a robust, earthy ice cream made by steeping sage in lightly sweetened cream—a simple way to incorporate fresh herbs without the dilemma of discoloration or wilting. Side-by-side tests by our R&D team revealed that infusing cream rather than water or simple syrup brings out the most complex flavor. Finally, because corn is one of those ingredients that pairs beautifully with sweet and savory, we tie it all together by swirling in a warmly spiced peach jam spiked with a splash of vinegar. There's been no better excuse for seconds than this woodsy ice cream that beautifully complements the addictive cornbread and bright peach jam.