3 egg yolks
pinch salt
3 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg yolks and add remaining ingredients.  Cook until hot...not boiling...then add 1 cup coconut and 4-5 tablespoons of fresh cornstarch that has been dissolved in about 1/3 cup cold milk.

Stir until mixture thickens.  Pour into prebaked crust...top with meringue.   Sprinkle top of meringue with coconut and brown in 350 degree oven. 

(I certainly don't claim to be the only person who makes dressing like this - actually the credit is to every good Southern cook.....Big Mama's and my Grandmother Ligon's was very much like this.)

• Bake 1 skillet buttermilk cornbread (NOT JIFFY) – you can find frozen cornbread now.
I use white-self-rising cornmeal mix (Martha White is best) – yellow will work if you can’t find the white. -- follow the baking instructions on the package.
• Bake homemade biscuits ( frozen ones are fine – you will need about 8 of them.) Not rolls!
• Allow the breads to cool (may make a week ahead). Place cornbread and biscuits in food processor (or crumble finely by hand). You need to have about 2/3 cornbread, 1/3 biscuit proportion.
• Place crumbs in LARGE bowl.
• Add 1 large onion and 3 or 4 stalks celery that have been processed in food processor until finely chopped – this is about 1 cup onion and 1 cup celery.
• Add 4 heaping Tablespoons canned rubbed sage. If using fresh sage use less. (You may want more or less depending on taste.) Add 1 teaspoon black pepper. You will not add salt until after the broth is added – It can be too salty.
• Stir all this together and let sit awhile before adding liquid.
• Add liquid *(chicken stock or broth) to mixture a quart at a time stirring well between additions. You will add more liquid as needed. The mixture needs to be “sloppy”. – allow time to sit and absorb liquid.
• Add 8 whole eggs – slightly beaten.
• Adjust salt, sage to taste
• Bake in a 9”X13”pan that has been lightly greased (or sprayed)
• Cook at 375 degrees until golden brown – probably 35 – 45 minutes
• Serve w/ giblet gravy

Giblet Gravy
I prefer to buy a nice size whole chicken to cook for my stock. Place rinsed chicken in a stockpot filled with water. Be sure to remove any giblets from neck and body cavity. Rinse these pieces – neck, liver, gizzard, etc. and add them to the pot. Add one onion that you have peeled and quartered as well as 2 or three stalks of celery cut in thirds. Add salt, pepper and a little parsley – bring to boil, then turn down and simmer until giblets are tender and chicken is beginning to fall off the bone. Cool.
• Remove chicken from pot – pull meat from bones and reserve – save the dark meat and some of the white meat to add to gravy. Cut up gizzard, liver, neck meat for gravy. (make chicken salad from the rest!)
• Strain remaining liquid to remove any bones, skin, etc.
• *This hot stock is what you will add to your dressing.
• Reserve at least 1 ½ quarts of the stock –
• In smaller sauce pan – add stock, chopped chicken you have reserved alone with some of the celery, onion from the stock pot.
• Mix 2 tablespoons flour with 1 cup cold water – blend until smooth. Add this to stock
• Bring to boil – add two eggs – one at a time. These are uncooked eggs that will “poach” when placed in the boiling broth. DO NOT STIR. When the eggs are fully cooked you may cut them up some.
• You may need to adjust seasoning and thickness. If gravy is too thin – repeat the thickening process – adding a little at a time. If it is too thick – add some water.
• ENJOY – CALL ME IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.