Turkey Tenderloins w/ Mushroom Tarragon Shallot Gravy

Today I'm teaming up with some other bloggers to bring you some great Thanksgiving recipe ideas. Although this isn't technically one of my "25 Recipe" posts leading up to Thanksgiving, as fate would have it there just so happened to be 25 of us today. If you scroll down the the bottom of this post, you'll find 25 bonus Thanksgiving recipe ideas!

Before I tell you about this delicious turkey option for those who may not feel up to cooking a whole bird...and before you get to those bonus recipes...I have to let you know that EACH of the recipe posts I've linked to below also contain a separate, amazing giveaway. You'll want to be sure to visit each post for your chance to win one (or more) of the 25 fabulous prizes!

About this turkey? Well, I've mentioned before that even if I'm cooking a whole bird, I like to make extra turkey to ensure that we have enough leftovers to last us a few days (because leftovers are just as important as the meal). Turkey tenderloins cook up quickly and even give you license to make a separate flavor profile and/or gravy to go along with them. This is great for someone like me who has a hard time narrowing down which direction to take with their herbs and spices.

Turkey Tenderloins with Mushroom Tarragon Shallot Gravy

Turkey tenderloins in rich mushroom gravy with fragrant tarragon are a quick and delicious option if you don't need (or want) to roast a whole bird for the holidays!

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes

Keywords: roast entree nut-free turkey tarragon mushrooms Thanksgiving American fall

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

• 2 1/2 pounds turkey tenderloins
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/4" thick
• 3 shallots (~3 ounces total), roughly chopped
• 1 cup turkey stock (or chicken broth)
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves + more to garnish
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F. Season the turkey tenderloins all over with salt and pepper.

Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil to a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan and fats are hot, add the seasoned turkey and cooking until brown on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Scatter the mushrooms and shallots over and around the turkey.

Combine the stock, wine, vinegar, and tarragon in a measuring cup with a spout. Very carefully pour this over the turkey and vegetables. Allow it to just start to bubble up around the edges.

Carefully slide the pan into the preheated oven; cook for 15-20 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of one of the tenderloins registers at least 160° F. Remove from oven and use tons to transfer the turkey to a plate and tent loosely with foil; allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

While the turkey is resting set the skillet with the juices, mushrooms, and shallots in it over medium heat. You should have about 2 cups of liquid (including a few of the mushrooms that probably snuck in when you were measuring); if you have less, add water or stock to make up the difference. Stir cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water until you have a smooth mixture the consistency of whole milk. When the liquid boils, drizzle the cornstarch slurry in while whisking constantly. Simmer for until thick, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the last tablespoon of butter. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Serve the turkey with the pan gravy poured over the top; garnish with more fresh tarragon, if you wish.

Kitchen Tools Giveaway ($60.95 total retail value)

Today I'm giving away a set of kitchen tools to help you prepare your next holiday meal (though they're also great for everyday use). All of these are gadgets that get regular use in my kitchen.

Crisp 4 in 1 Zester ($12.99)

KitchenIQ V-etched Extra Coarse Grater Orange ($16.99)

KitchenIQ V-etched Better Zester! Green ($14.99)

OXO Good Grips Wooden Reamer ($5.99)

OXO Good Grips Baker's Dusting Wand ($9.99)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to residents of the USA only. Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, November 29, 2015. One winner will be chosen via random draw and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest, and given 24 hours in which to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, a new winner will be chosen. All entries will be verified.

Thank you to Lisa of Snappy Gourmet for organizing this event! Remember that each link below contains not only a delicious recipe that you might want to add to your Thanksgiving menu this year, but also a giveaway. That means 25 recipes AND 25 giveaways!

25 Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

I hope you'll visit each of these other bloggers; you'll find the recipes and a different giveaway valued at $50 (or more) on each site!

• Homemade Orange Cider Cranberry Sauce via The Snappy Gourmet
• Cheesy Garlic Herb Potatoes and Squash via Sugar Dish Me
• 5-Ingredient Pecan Pie Fudge via Texanerin Baking
• Brussels Sprouts and Farro Salad via Lemons for Lulu
• Sweet Potato Cheesecake via Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Cranberry Side Dish via Cooking on the Front Burner
• Fig and Goat Cheese Ball via Eat. Drink. Love.
• Overnight Pumpkin Monkey Bread via Barbara Bakes
• Classic Apple Pie via Comfortable Domestic
• Acorn Squash Puree via Daily Appetite
• Pumpkin Banana Bread via Java Cupcake
• Green Beans with Almonds and Bacon via From Valerie's Kitchen
• Classic Pecan Pie via That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Turkey Tenderloins with Mushroom Shallot Tarragon Gravy via All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Casserole Donut Holes via Cupcake Project
• Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes via Chocolate Slopes
• Triple Spice Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie via Frugal Foodie Mama
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce via The Adventure Bite
• Twice Baked Potatoes via My Gluten Free Kitchen
• Green Bean Quinoa Casserole via Lauren Kelly Nutrition
• Warm Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Leek Salad with Cheddar Biscuit Breadcrumbs via Sarcastic Cooking
• Pumpkin Slab Pie via The Kitchen is My Playground
• Prosciutto Wrapped Parmesan Pears & Greens via The Complete Savorist
• Cranberry Apple Charlotte via The Redhead Baker
• Pumpkin Ricotta Chocolate Chip Bread via Ari's Menu

Salmon in Moscato Cream Sauce

It can make a person's head spin! I think what it comes down to is education, and more often than not, looking at a company and judging it on an individual basis. It's about setting goals and standards for what you want to feed your family, and then supporting companies that help you meet those standards.

When it comes to fish, and I hear the phrases wild versus farmed, I normally gravitate towards wild. You hear stories of how dirty and flavorless and unsanitary fish farms are. But just like anything else, it's not fair to lump all farmed fish into one category.

Straight up and honest, I have NOT researched many farmed operations. Recently I was offered the chance to try Verlasso salmon (a farmed Atlantic salmon). So, I visited their website. The first thing that "got " me was their philosophy, Raising salmon in harmony with nature. After reading about how they maintain equlibrium and strive for the highest standards, after watching some of their videos, after finding out that Verlasso is the first (and only) ocean-raised farmed Atlantic salmon has a "good alternative" or yellow ranking from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch® program, I won't be so quick to answer the wild versus farmed phrase when asked next time.

Grilled Goat Cheese w/ Tomato & Tarragon on Olive Bread + No-Knead Olive Bread

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? If ever you needed an excuse to eat a grilled cheese sandwich every day for 30 days straight, this is it! Personally, I don't really think excuses are necessary when it comes to grilled cheese. It's been one of my favorites since I could chew.

During my sophomore year in college, some of our closest friends from our brother floor freshman year moved off campus. They moved into an ever-coveted house. But since we all got pretty tight the year before, they still dropped by the dorms to visit pretty often. Now, I ate the majority of my meals in the cafeteria - which I actually didn't mind. I thought the food was pretty good. Heck, we even had King Crab legs on special occasions. But sometimes, I just missed a home-cooked meal. Even if it was something as simple as a grilled cheese.

So, being the awesome guy that he was, Mike (one of our "brothers") used to make grilled cheese sandwiches and bring them to the dorm for me. I can't remember if he used the stovetop or a grilled cheese maker, but it didn't matter. It was the highlight of my day every time. Perfectly golden, crispy bread encasing ooey, gooey melted cheese. I don't think that I ever expressed how thankful I was to him for taking the time to do that, but it's a gesture that sticks with me to this day.

Tarragon Chicken

When I rented my first apartment as a young adult, one of my favorite things was inviting people over for dinner. Dinner guests equaled a chance to try out new wines and cook inviting dishes. Not that I had a dining room table to eat on (or a dining room to eat it in), but I don't remember that mattering. Coffee tables, boxes, laps...they all worked equally well for setting plates on. Though I will admit to it being a little tricky when steak knives were involved.

I can still remember planning my meals. I don't remember making many casseroles back then. And I rarely used my slow-cooker. Which is odd, because both of those methods make for somewhat easy "beginner" dishes. Instead, I almost always chose either a roast (chicken, beef, pork) or a dish that involved the searing of a piece of meat in a pan and deglazing with wine, or some other sort of liquid. But usually wine.

I think sides were always some sort of potato and a veg. Probably a loaf of bread hanging around, too.  And the funny thing is, those dishes were always a success.  Some of my favorites were Ham Steaks in an Orange glaze, Chicken with 40 cloves, Burgundy Beef tips, Pork Chops in Rosé, and Tarragon Chicken. I don't remember ever not liking anything.

Chicken, Strawberry, & Tarragon Salad w/ Cashews & Cashel Blue

Every time I make a salad, I make a proclamation that it's only the first in a line of many that will be gracing my table in weeks to come.  Visions of salad plates and dainty forks dance in my head.  And then tomorrow rolls around I promptly forget that decree.

Seriously.  Every.  Single.  Time.

Scampi Rockefeller

I mentioned the other day that I've been experimenting with absinthe in the kitchen.  This dish is another product of those experiments.  A close favorite to the salmon in that initial post, actually.  It's a riff on two classics - Scampi with its garlicky butter sauce and the absinthe and "green" of (Oysters) Rockefeller.

Combined, they make one of those dishes that I can just keep on eating... without feeling guilty.

It's light and fresh, yet altogether satisfying with the strands of angel hair pasta that twist their way over and around the plump, pink shrimp.  I've been so pleasantly surprised at how well that light, black-licorice flavor of absinthe plays up not only the tarragon in any dish... but also butter.  I mean, I'm not one to shy away from butter sauces anyway, but when absinthe and butter make a date and get saucy, it's a little bit like the heavens have opened up and sent out a warm, enveloping breeze on a mild, summer's day.