Friedman Family Traditional
Turkey and Cornbread Stuffing

Stuffing: Crumble the corn bread coarse onto 2 jelly roll pans and bake it in a preheated 325' F. oven, stirring frequently for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is dry and deep  golden. Let the corn bread cool and transfer it to a large bowl. In a large skillet cook the onions, the celery, and the garlic with salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and transfer the mixture to the bowl of corn bread. Add the apples, the ham, the parsley, the sage, the marjoram the rosemary, the nutmeg, the butter, and salt and pepper to taste, toss the mixture gently to combine it well, and let the stuffing cool completely. The stuffing maybe prepared I day in advance and kept covered and chilled. (Do not stuff the turkey in advance.)

Turkey:  This is for a 12-14 pound turkey, giblets (excluding the liver) reserved for making turkey giblet stock. Use melted 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened for coating the turkey.

Rinse the turkey, pat it dry and season it inside and out with salt and pepper, Pack the neck cavity loosely with some of the stuffing, fold the neck skin under the body, and fasten it with a skewer. Pack the body cavity loosely with some of the remaining stuffing and truss the turkey.

Transfer the remaining stuffing to a buttered 1/2 quart baking dish and reserve it, covered and chilled. Spread the turkey with I stick of the butter and on the rack of a roasting pan roast it in a pre-heated 425' F. oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325' F., brush the turkey with the pan juices, and arrange a piece of cheesecloth soaked in the remaining I stick butter, melted and cooled, over it. Roast the turkey, basting it every 20 minutes, for 3 hour, more, or until the juices run clear when the fleshy part of a thigh is pricked with a skewer, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of a thigh registers 180' F. During the last hour of roasting bake the reserved stuffing, covered, in the 325 F. oven. Remove and discard the cheesecloth, the skewer, and the trussing strings, transfer the turkey to a platter, and keep it warm, covered loosely with foil.

Gravy:  Skim off all but about cup of the fat from the pan juices, add the flour, and cook the mixture over moderate to low heat, for 5 minutes. Add the stock in a stream, whisking, add the apple jack, and the apples, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the gravy is reduced to about 2 ½ cups. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and strain it into a heated sauceboat, pressing hard on the solids.