It has become traditional to fill the turkey with two stuffings – one for the neck or crop (in this case, pork and veal) and another for the body (fruit and walnut).
Use these cooking times for stuffed turkey as a guide:
3kg – 4kg turkey will take 3 – 31/2 hours and serve 8 – 10
4kg – 6kg turkey will take 3 ½ – 4 hours and serve 10 -14
6kg – 8kg turkey will take 4 – 6  hours and serve 14 – 16

Serve with roasted vegetables, candied sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, brussels sprouts & chestnuts and gravy (made from pan juices).

Preheat oven to 220degC (200degC fan-forced).  Wipe turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.  Put pork and veal forcemeat into the neck.  Be careful not to pack it in too tightly as it will swell as it cooks.  Pull neck skin over the cavity and secure with skewers.
Put fruit and nut stuffing into body of the turkey.  Tuck wings underneath and plump up breasts to give it a good shape.  Pull the turkey skin up under wings to hold it in shape and secure with skewers.
Tie legs together with string, making sure they are secured close to the body.  Rub butter over breasts, legs, and wings, and season lightly with cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Place turkey, breast side down, in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes.  Turn oven down to moderate (180decC/160 fan-forced) and cook for another 3 – 3/12 hours.  Check from time to time, basting with pan juices, and covering any parts which may be browning too quickly with foil.  Turn turkey onto other breast about quarter of the way through cooking, then onto its back so that it cooks evenly.  The turkey is cooked when juices run clear – test this by inserting a skewer through the thickest part of the thigh.  Take care not to overcook.
Remove to a warm serving platter, discard string and skewers and cover loosely with foil.  Leave to rest in a warm place for 15 – 20 minutes while you make the gravy.

Pork and Veal Forcemeat: Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.

Fruit and Nut Stuffing:   Soak prunes and apricots overnight in a bowl with the Madeira.  Toast nuts in a moderate oven for 8 – 10 minutes.  Melt butter in a heavy frying pan, and cook onion and celery until soft.  Add apple and pear, and cook until softened.  Remove pan from heat and stir in all the remaining ingredients, except bread cubes. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point.
Just before stuffing, add bread cubes and macerated prunes and apricots.  Stir to combine well.

The photograph is from my Entertaining At Home book, taken by Rodney Weidland

Whole turkey breast (or buffe, as the manufacturers call it) is an impressive and easier option than a big whole roast turkey.  It also yields plenty of delicious moist white meat which keeps well for leftovers. Serve with mixed roasted vegetables, which can be prepared ahead and served warm.

Remove plastic and paper towels from chest cavity before stuffing and wipe the skin dry.
For the stuffing: Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl.  Saute onions in the butter until soft and transparent.  Add to the breadcrumbs along with remaining ingredients.  Season well.  If mixture seems dry, add another beaten egg.
Preheat oven to 180degC.  Fan-forced oven 160degC.  Webber BBQ place 45 briquettes on each side.
Spoon some of the stuffing firmly into neck of the turkey buffe, being careful not to pack too tightly as it will swell as it cooks.  Pull neck skin over the cavity and secure with skewers.
Spoon remaining stuffing into  the chest covering tightly with a double layer or greased foil.Place breast up on a roasting dish and cover the whole breast with foil.  Place in the oven and pour in 1 – 1 1/2 cups hot water.  Roast for approximately 40 minutes per kg – you won’t need to turn the turkey around.  Thirty minutes before it is ready, remove foil and pierce the skin in several places to allow self-basting and browning.  The turkey breast is cooked when meat juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. If using a meat thermometer, the temperature should read 85degC (185degF).  Allow turkey to stand ten minutes covered with foil before serving.

Tip: when I looked in the supermarket today, I noticed most of the breasts are 2kg – 2.5kg, which are considerably smaller, so you will need to halve the stuffing if using one of those.  They’ll serve fewer people too.

Terrific hearty Anglo fare.

Serves 4

1 corn-fed or organic chicken, size 14 – 16
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, halved
25g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt and pepper

Bread Sauce:
1 small onion, peeled
8 – 10 cloves
1 bayleaf
280ml (1 cup plus 1 ½ tbsp) full-cream milk
25g butter
1 tbsp cream (optional)
50g (3/4 cup) fresh white breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 200degC.
Wipe the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels and place in a roasting tin. Push the quartered onion into the cavity and add half the lemon. Generously smear the butter over the breast and legs of the chicken. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over the top and sprinkle with salt, pepper and tarragon.
Roast for ten minutes at 200degC then reduce temperature to 180degC and continue cooking for a further 1 ¼ hours or until the juices run clear. Remove from the pan, reserving the juices for gravy and leave to rest for ten minutes before carving.

Bread Sauce:
Peel the onion and push the cloves into it, place in a saucepan with the bayleaf and milk and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for one hour. Remove the onion and bayleaf and put to one side. Stir in the breadcrumbs and place on low heat, stirring occasionally until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Replace onion and bayleaf and stand in a warm place until needed. Before serving, gently re-heat and stir through the butter (and cream, if using).

A classic French provincial dish, hard to beat on a cold winter’s night.

Serves 4

1 medium corn-fed chicken (1.4 – 1.6kg), cut in serving pieces
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
2 tablespoons light olive oil
125g steaky bacon, rind removed, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
12 – 16 baby onions, peeled
2 tablespoons brandy
¾ (three quarters) bottle red wine
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
Bouquet garni
250g button mushrooms, browned in a little oil
1 tablespoon softened butter
worked with 1 tablespoon plain flour

Wipe the chicken pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium heavy casserole, fry the bacon until crispy, add the onions and garlic clove and fry until golden, turning them frequently. Remove to paper towels. Fry the chicken pieces until golden all over. Tip out any fat, then pour in the brandy and flame it (stand back!). When flames have subsided, return bacon, onions and garlic to the casserole, pour in the wine and stock and add the bouquet garni. Cover and simmer very gently until chicken is tender, about ¾ – 1 hour. Add mushrooms to chicken and simmer until mushrooms are soft.
Remove chicken pieces and vegetables to a warm serving platter or dish. Discard bouquet garni. Bring the red wine to the boil and reduce by half over medium heat. Skim off any fat. Add the butter/flour mixture (‘beurre manie’) in small pieces to the red wine, stirring over low heat until the butter has melted and the sauce has thickened. Bring just to boiling point and when shiny and glazed, pour over the chicken. Serve immediately.