Ingredients:
- 5.5kg/12lb oven ready turkey, thoroughly thawed if frozen
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 4 garlic cloves
- 450ml/¾ pint medium dry cider
- 25g/1oz softened butter or margarine
- 25g/1oz flour
- 4 tbsp half fat crème fraîche
- fresh mint sprigs to garnish
- For the stuffing:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 Bramley cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped
- 175g/6oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 75g/3oz ready to eat dried prunes, chopped
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped mint
- 1 medium egg, beaten
Preheat the oven to
190C/375F/Gas 5, 10 minutes before cooking.
Wipe the turkey inside and season the body cavity. Put on one side while
preparing the stuffing.
Make stuffing by heating the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic
for 5 minutes or until softened.
Stir in the apple, remove from the heat and add remaining stuffing
ingredients with seasoning to taste and mix well to form a stiff
consistency.
Stuff the neck cavity only with the prepared stuffing then fold the neck
flap over and secure either by sewing using fine twine and a trussing
needle or with skewers.
Place the onion wedges and whole garlic cloves in the body cavity.
Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time allowing 18 minutes per
450g/1lb.
Roll any remaining stuffing into balls and cook round the turkey for the
last 20 minutes of cooking time.
Place breast side down in the roasting tin, pour over 150ml/¼ pint of the
cider then place in the oven and roast in the oven for the calculated
cooking time. (By cooking the turkey upside down, the natural juices will
baste the turkey as it cooks.
Twenty minutes before the end of the cooking time, turn the turkey over,
pour over a further 150ml/¼ pint of the cider and continue to cook for the
rest of the cooking time. If the turkey is browning too quickly, cover
loosely with tin foil. Check the turkey is thoroughly cooked by inserting
a long skewer in the thickest part of the thigh. If after 1 minute the
juices run clear the turkey is cooked.
Remove from the oven, place turkey on a serving plate, loosely cover with
tinfoil and stand for 20 minutes before carving.
Strain 300ml/½ pint of the juices from the cooked turkey into a saucepan
and stir in the remaining cider, bring to the boil.
Cream the butter or margarine with the flour then gradually whisk into the
cider mixture.
Cook for 2 minutes, adjust seasoning and stir in the crème fraîche. Heat
gently for 1 minute then serve with the cooked turkey, garnished with
fresh herbs