Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 small egg, beaten
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 8 canned peaches, halves or 8 pears
• 1 (5 1/2 lb) chicken
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sherry wine (Amontillado recommended)
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine bread crumbs with 1/4 cup of the pine nuts, egg and thyme.

3. If necessary, halve and stone the peaches.

4. Dice one peach into small pieces and stir into the bread crumb mixture.

5. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

6. Spoon the stuffing into the neck cavity of the chicken and secure the skin firmely over it.

7. Place the chicken in a roasting pan.

8. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the chicken.

9. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour, basting occasionally.

10. Remove the foil and spoon the sherry over the chicken.

11. Cook for 30 more minutes, basting with the sherry until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced.

12. Sprinkle the remained pine nuts over the peach halves and place in an ovenproof dish.

13. Bake these with chicken for the final 10 minutes of cooking time.

14. To serve, place chicken on serving platter and arrange the peach halves around it.

15. Skim any fat from the juices in the roasting pan, stir in the cream and heat gently.

16. Serve this with the chicken.