Turkey:

Grind dried porcini in processor until almost reduced to powder, with some larger bits remaining, about 4 minutes. Transfer to sieve. Shake powdered porcini into a bowl; mix in 2 tablespoons butter. Reserve larger bits in a sieve. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on a small rack set in large roasting pan. Rub porcini butter over outside of turkey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring porcini bits and chicken broth to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat; reserve for basting. (Turkey and porcini broth can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°F. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity and neck cavity. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely. Roast turkey 1 hour 15 minutes, covering loosely with foil if browning quickly. Toss onion, carrots, garlic, and oil in a bowl to coat; scatter in pan around turkey. Baste with 1 cup porcini broth. Continue to roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting with 3/4 cup porcini broth and pan juices every 45 minutes, about 2 hours 30 minutes for unstuffed and 3 hours for a stuffed turkey. Transfer turkey to platter; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees).

gravy:

Place roasting pan over 2 burners. Add turkey stock and any remaining porcini broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Strain turkey broth into heavy large saucepan; spoon off fat.

Mix 4 tablespoons butter and flour in a bowl to form a paste. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Cover; cook until mushrooms release liquids, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add Madeira; boil until wine evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add mushroom mixture to turkey broth; bring to boil. Whisk in flour paste. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until gravy thickens, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Corn Bread:

In a bowl combine well cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter. Blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk and egg. Bake the cornbread in a greased 8” square baking pan. In 425 F. oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean. Let the cornbread cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Stuffing:

Crumble the cornbread onto 2 jelly roll pans and bake in a preheated 325F. oven, stirring frequently for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is dry and deep golden. Let the cornbread cool and transfer it to a large bowl. In a large skillet sauté onions, celery, and garlic with salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of cornbread. Add dry apples, ham, parsley, sage, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, butter, salt and pepper to taste, toss the mixture gently to combine it well. Let the stuffing to cool completely. The stuffing may be 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 ½ quart baking dish and reserve it, covered and chilled. Spread the turkey with 1 stick of the butter and place on the rack of a roasting pan. Roast in a pre-heated 425F oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325F, 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 hours, 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 180F. 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 a 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 applejack, 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.