Celebrate the New Year!

For 2008, we started the year with a wonderful meal cooked at home. We have been weening ourselves off of red meats for the past few months and so tonight's dinner is our own version of a "surf & turf." (Please forgive my pics... my camera is on the fritz!)

I prepared a turkey mignon, jumbo sea scallops in a citrus butter sauce, potato gratin and roasted tomatoes & asparagus. Here are the my recipes for the dinner:

Turkey Mignon

4 turkey medallions
4 strips of bacon (smoked bacon adds a nice flavor)
2 tablespoons of butter
¼ cup of white wine
1 cup of chicken stock or broth
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Wrap one strip of bacon around each of the turkey medallions, securing it with a toothpick placed straight into the turkey.

Lightly season the turkey on both sides with salt and pepper.

Pour the oil into a medium sized pan and place over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, about two minutes, place the turkey medallions into the pan and sear each side for about a minute.

Place the turkey medallions onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

Place the turkey the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches 165 degrees.

While the turkey is cooking, place the butter into the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Once the butter has melted, add a pinch of salt and wine. Simmer until it's reduced by half.

Add the stock or broth and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste; remove from heat.

Once the turkey is done, remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes.

Just before serving, spoon sauce over the turkey.

Jumbo Sea Scallops in a Citrus Butter

6 jumbo sea scallops
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon citrus seasoning
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
splash of heavy cream (optional)

In a saute pan, melt butter.
Season scallops with salt & pepper.
Sear scallops in melted butter until a crust forms on both sides.
Remove from pan.
Add seasoning and lemon juice.
Add splash of heavy cream if desired for a creamy sauce.
Spoon sauce over scallops or meat entree.

Potato Gratin
(provided by my friend, Michele)
I divided this recipe by half and made it into 2 individual dishes.

1 tsp. butter or margarine, softened

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 cup heavy or whipping cream

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 cup coarsely shredded Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Lightly crush garlic with side of knife.

Heat cream, milk, garlic, salt and pepper in small saucepan over medium-high heat, until small bubbles appear around edge of pan; remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat potato slices with paper towels.

Arrange half the potatoes in overlapping slices along the bottom of prepared dish.

Pour half the cream mixture over the potatoes, then sprinkle with half the cheeses.

Repeat with remaining potatoes, cream mixture and cheeses.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until top is a deep brown and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Tips:

1. Use russet potatoes; they have the highest starch content.2. Use heavy cream--not just milk or half and half--because the fat prevents curdling.3. Prepare this dish right before baking. Parboiling or letting the sliced potatoes stand in cold water before baking reduces the starch content and makes the dish runny.