This recipe is inspired by the traditional stuffing but with a twist by using the buttery panettone cubes with savory and sweet Chinese sausage. It's a perfect side-dish to accompany your main dish for your holiday meals.
If there are some pearl sugar on the panettone, you can always scrape those off. Cut the panettone into aobut 1-inch cube. Toast the panettone in the oven in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 10 minutes. Let them cool down completely. You can prepare this a day or two before
Dice the Chinese sausage into about 1/2 inch pieces. Dice the celery and onion into 1/2 inch pieces approximately. Don't cut too small or they may turn into a mush after cooking
Preheat 2 Tbsp of oil on a large skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add the celery and onion and saute for about 10minutes until they are soft and aromatic
Add the rest of the oil and add the diced Chinese sausage. Continue to cook until they are slightly charred but not burned. The sausage will release some aromatic oil too . You can prepare ahead up to this point and bake the next day if you want. Cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator
When ready to bake:
Grease a 10 - 12 inch round baking dish or 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 400 F (204 C) for conventional oven. For a convection oven, lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C
Transfer the panettone and sausage mixture you cook into the prepared baking dish
If the chicken stock you use is very lightly seasoned, have a taste and you may want to add some salt and pepper to your taste. Whisk the stock with the eggs
Pour the egg mixture over the panettone mixture. Make sure they are soaked in the egg mixture. Let them stand for 10-15 minutes while the oven is preheating
Put the baking dish on the middle rack and bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. It should be crisp on top and custardy texture underneath. If you insert a toothpick into the center, it should comes out clean. If not, bake for another 5 minutes and test again
When ready to serve:
Serve the stuffing warm. Sprinkle with some chopped cilantro or parsley
Leftovers:
Leftover can be kept in the fridge for about 3-4 days. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the drier it gets. Simply reheat in the microwave for a 3-5 minutes or until it's warm before serving again