Turkey Gratin - First Attempt

I watched an episode of Iron Chef today. I had DVR'd the competition between Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse in which they used vegetables from the White House garden. I'm amazed at the creativity of people like Bobby Flay. Some TV chefs seem to cook all recipes on a certain cuisine theme. Mr. Flay does a great job being inspired by an ingredient.

In the spirit of Iron Chef, my inspiration tonight is diced, cooked turkey. Like most Americans, I have leftover turkey after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I already have favorite recipes for Turkey Pot Pie and Turkey Tetrazzini. I want to make something different tonight.

Turkey Gratin (version 1)

2 c cooked, diced turkey

16 oz frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, and green beans)

1 egg

1 egg white

2 Tbsp margarine

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 c chicken broth

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs

Melt margarine and stir in flour to make a paste. All at once, add milk and chicken broth. Stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Stir the chopped turkey, frozen veggies, and sauce together and transfer to a casserole dish. Combine the cheddar cheese and bread crumbs, then sprinkle the mixture over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for twenty minutes. Uncover the casserole and bake for an additional ten minutes.

I served this over No Yolks egg noodles tonight. It was warm, filling, and old-fashioned. The dinner reminded me a lot of a cross between tuna casserole and turkey pot pie. Mike and I liked the egg noodles served under the casserole, rather than baked in the casserole. I didn't think this was cookbook material yet, though.

Variation ideas: roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, white wine in the sauce

The first thing my mom said when I told her I would like to write a cookbook was, "That will take a lot of experimentation." How true.