If you’re new to gratins, they may become a good friend; especially in August, when there are so many gratin-friendly vegetables in season. And if you’re the type of cook who doesn’t like following recipes to the letter, bingo, because tomatoes (any variety), zucchini, eggplant, onions, leeks, fresh herbs and potatoes — all are wonderful mixed and matched in gratins.
The word “gratin” actually refers to a recipe, usually made in a shallow baking dish, which is covered in a golden brown crust. If you are in possession of a gratin dish (Tian), you’re good to go.
However any shallow, 2-quart oven-safe dish makes a lovely gratin. My gratin dish is missing in action, so I use a shallow, oval lid that tops a glass casserole, and it worked quite well.
Here’s a couple of other recipes for easy off-the-farm gratins that can be made in minutes. One uses pattypan squash, leeks and tomatoes and is a bit more involved, the other is a simple tomato gratin, similar to the recipe below.
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Whew – limped over the 2012 finish line without permanent injury, but I can do better than a stagger. It’s a New Year; time to straighten up, return to the gym, and put a bounce back into my step – a sway into my swagger. How about you? Have you made any exercise or weight … Full recipe post »
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Hi there! I'm Peggy Lampman -
Food writer by trade, curious cook by design.
The past 30 years have witnessed a raucous race from my professional to
home kitchen - persnickety customers, petulant children and piles of dirty dishes
lie in my wake. A scary ride, indeed, but I survived. And the dinnerFeeds - well - they
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Taste buds prickle; wanderlust triggered. An Argentine barbecue (asado)
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waking at dawn to the "Call To Prayer" in Turkey. Porcini to Tuscany, and so on. Read more about my chronicles of
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The word “gratin” actually refers to a recipe, usually made in a shallow baking dish, which is covered in a golden brown crust. If you are in possession of a gratin dish (Tian), you’re good to go.
