Fast, Fresh & Green (26 page)

1 LB/455 G ITALIAN EGGPLANT
(about 2
)

3 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

½ TSP PLUS
¹
/
₈
TSP KOSHER SALT

4 OZ/115 G FRESH GOAT CHEESE,
at room temperature

2 TBSP ORANGE JUICE

2 TBSP CHOPPED DRAINED OIL-PACKED SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

ABOUT 20 SMALL FRESH BASIL AND/OR MINT LEAVES

1
Preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
Trim the ends of the eggplant and slice it across into 3/8-in/9.5-mm slices. (You will have about 20 to 24 slices). Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp salt over both sides, too.

2
Put the slices directly on the grill
, close the lid, and cook until nicely marked or browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer the eggplant to a plate or tray and arrange the slices in stacks of 4 or 5 slices close together. Cover the plate with aluminum foil (or wrap the stacks in a foil pouch). Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. The eggplant will finish cooking through.

3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl
, combine the goat cheese, orange juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and the 1/8 tsp salt. Mash together until thoroughly combined.

4
Unwrap the eggplant
and arrange half of the slices (choose the biggest ones for the bottom of the sandwich) on a board or tray. Spoon some of the goat cheese mixture on each slice. Top each with two herb leaves and another eggplant slice.

Yields 10 to 12 sandwiches; serves 4

(Bonus Chapter—Slower but Worth It)

METHOD: Baking gratins

EQUIPMENT: Shallow baking dishes in 2-cup/475-ml, 5- to 6-cup/1.2- to 1.4-L, and 2-qt/2-L sizes

HEAT: A moderate oven

RECIPES:
Foundation Recipe for Baking Gratins •
194

Mini–Potato Gratin •
197

Golden Mushroom and Potato Gratin •
198

Summer Vegetable and Tomato Tian with Parmesan Bread Crumbs •
201

Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomato Gratin •
203

Eggplant Parmigiano, Tomato, and Basil Gratin •
206

Christmas Kale Gratin with Sun-Dried Tomatoes •
208

Harvest Gratin of Butternut Squash, Corn, and Leeks •
210

“It’s just a casserole, really,” I said to my friend Ali when I brought a gratin to a family supper at her house one night not long after I met her. She remembers that well, because she was so happy to discover that a former editor of a national cooking magazine wasn’t pretentious about food. I didn’t try to impress her with something fussy, but it turns out that I did bring a dish with a name that’s hard to pronounce. Because of my French culinary training, I use the French pronunciation for gratin (grah-TAHN), a cheese-and-crumb-topped layered vegetable dish. But it’s okay if you want to use the English pronunciation (GROT-ten). After all, it’s just a casserole.

I should add that it’s a shallow casserole. (This is not a deep-dish affair.) One of the reasons a gratin is so tasty is that the contents of the dish are spread out over a surface area that’s relatively large compared to their volume. That means that lots of vegetables get to make contact with the pan, so you have more of the delicious browned, caramelized stuff. Plus, all that surface area means that juices and liquids can bubble away. While they reduce and thicken, they also get more flavorful.

So, do you need a special gratin dish? No, both Pyrex and Corning make shallow baking dishes that work fine. But there are two reasons why you might
want
a special gratin dish: material and looks. I really like my 2-qt/2-L Le Creuset enameled cast-iron oval gratin dish because it conducts heat so well. I also like my Pillivuyt 5-cup/1.2-L white ceramic gratin dish, because its simple good looks show off the contents of a gratin beautifully. And since gratins take a little time and effort to put together (yes, this is the bonus “slower-but-worth it” chapter), you’ll want to make them to share at potlucks and serve at parties.

You’ll also want to have a couple of different-size dishes on hand if you like making gratins. Most of the recipes in this chapter call for one of the following: a 2-qt/2-L shallow baking dish (Pyrex makes a rectangular one), which serves about six people; a 5- to 6-cup/1.2- to 1.4-L shallow baking dish (you can use a Pyrex 91/2-in/24-cm pie dish in a pinch), which serves four people; and a mini–gratin dish, which serves one or two. Look for a mini with a volume of
between 2 and 21/2 cups/475 and 590 ml. (They are usually about 8 in/20 cm long.) They’re not hard to find in housewares or kitchen stores, and Emile Henry and Le Creuset make pretty ones. All of these dishes should have a depth of no more than 11/2 to 2 in/3.75 to 5 cm. They can be oval, rectangular, or even round—as long as they are shallow.

I wish I had room in this book to tell you about all the different kinds of gratins you can make, but since this is a bonus chapter, I’ve narrowed my offerings to two main types of gratins (and a couple of ringers). The first is a potato-based gratin. These classic casseroles are so hearty and delicious that I’ve given you a template for one in the foundation recipe. Those gratins are satisfying on chilly nights. But the other style of gratin that I like to make a lot works best in summer. The French also lay claim to inventing this dish, which is called a
tian
. It’s a much lighter kind of gratin, with rows of tomatoes and other summer vegetables arranged over a bed of onions, seasoned with fresh herbs, and topped, of course, with a bit of cheese and bread crumbs. With the long, slow cooking, juices from the vegetables cook down into a delicious elixir. Then there are a couple of gratins in this chapter that showcase leafy greens and butternut squash.

But back to those bread crumbs for a minute. I don’t use crusty artisan bread for these; I really like English muffins. I buy them by the bagful, rip them up, and pulse them in my food processor (or in my coffee grinder if it’s just one muffin). I like the texture of these crumbs for a more substantial crust. Plus, the muffins are easy to dispatch. Sometimes I’ll use pita breads to make finer crumbs. Either way, I try to make the crumbs in batches and store them in zip-top bags in my freezer so that they’re at the ready when I need them.

Well, instead of continuing to expound about the finer points of gratins, I think I’d better release you to find out how delicious they are yourself. Remember to set aside a bit of time for prep; once you get these in the oven, you can cozy up with your tea or wine and just inhale the wonderful aromas wafting from your kitchen.

There are zillions of different kinds of potato gratins in the world, but the classic is the French dish of potatoes, Gruyère cheese, and cream known as potatoes dauphinoise. In the States, we call a very similar dish potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes. And I just call mine a potato gratin. My version comes very close to the classic French dish, except that I have cut the cream with some chicken broth. And, of course, since this is a foundation recipe, I’ve created some opportunities (but not too many) for you to customize your dish. I decided to limit the options, because I didn’t want to overwhelm you if you’ve never made one of these before. I also want you to experience this at its best, because it’s a classic for a reason. But once you’ve made a potato–Gruyère cheese version, you can try out some different combos.

I think varying the cheese is the place to have fun here. I made one recently with half Swiss cheese and half aged Gouda, and it was so flavorful. Nutty Gruyère is hard to beat, but other good melting cheeses like Fontina and Emmental are nice, too. When I use hard aged cheeses like Parmigiano and aged Gouda, they make up no more than half of the total amount of cheese; used alone they wouldn’t provide the unctuous texture that the others do.

If you like, you can replace half of the Yukon gold potatoes with either sweet potato or celery root. I like the celery root version a lot, as the creamy gratin lets just enough of this root vegetable’s distinctive flavor come through. You’ll also have a chance to vary flavors with your choice of herbs or an addition of ham or bacon.

For this and other gratins, you’ll need to slice the potatoes or other root vegetables thinly. Unlike some cooks, I don’t use a mandoline for this job. I find that both my Santoku knife and my ceramic knife work beautifully for creating very thin slices (ideally, between 1/16 and 1/8 in/1.5 and 3.25 mm). Japanese-style chef’s knives or any sharp knife with a thin blade would work, too. So that I’m not cutting a wobbly round shape, I always cut the vegetable in half lengthwise first. Then I can put the halves, cut side down, flat against the cutting board for stability. But if you’re more comfortable with a mandoline, go ahead and use it. Just be sure to use the guard!

Once you’ve grated your cheese, chopped some herbs, and sliced some potatoes, all you need do is mix them together and pour them into the dish. This recipe, which serves four people, is designed to be a manageable size and not just a special-occasion dish. With only 1 lb/455 g of potatoes to slice, the prep isn’t too time-consuming. If you don’t have a shallow 5- or 6-cup/1.2- to 1.4-L gratin dish, you can make this in a large
(91/2-in/24-cm) Pyrex pie plate. An hour in the oven, a few minutes to cool, and nirvana. These go with just about everything, but since they’re rich, you’ll want to serve them with a hearty green salad, no matter what else.

½ TSP UNSALTED BUTTER

¾ CUP/40 G FRESH BREAD CRUMBS

1 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

KOSHER SALT

1½ TSP CHOPPED FRESH ROSEMARY, THYME, OR SAVORY

2 TBSP FINELY GRATED PARMIGIANOREGGIANO
(optional)

¾ CUP/175 ML HEAVY CREAM

½ CUP LOW-SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH

1 TSP DIJON MUSTARD OR PREPARED HORSERADISH
(optional)

1 LB/455 G YUKON GOLD POTATOES
(about 2 large or 3 medium), peeled; or replace up to 8 oz/225 g of the potato with sweet potato or celery root, peeled

FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

1 CUP/110 G GRATED GRUYèRE, FONTINA, SWISS, OR EMMENTAL
(use the large holes on a box grater); or replace up to ½ cup/55 g with ½ cup/15 g finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or aged Gouda

¼ CUP/35 G FINELY CHOPPED SMOKED HAM, OR 3 TBSP CRUMBLED COOKED BACON
(2 slices; optional)

1
Preheat the oven
to 350°F/175°C (Gas Mark 4). Rub a 5- or 6-cup/1.2- or 1.4-L shallow gratin dish (or a 91/2-in/24-cm pie plate) with the butter.

2
In a small bowl
, combine the bread crumbs with the olive oil, a big pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of the chopped herbs, and the Parmigiano (if using). Set aside. In a liquid measure, combine the cream, broth, and mustard (if using), and set aside.

3
Cut the potatoes
(and sweet potatoes or celery root, if using) in half lengthwise and turn the halves cut side down on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, slice the halves across as thinly as you can (between 1/16 and 1/8 in/1.5 and 3.25 mm is ideal) so that you have thin half-moon pieces. (You can quarter celery root, rather than halve, before slicing.)

4
Put the potatoes
(and sweet potatoes or celery root, if using) in a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 tsp salt, several grinds of black pepper, the cheese, the remaining 1 tsp herbs, the ham (if using), and the cream mixture. Mix well. Using your hands, lift the potatoes out of the bowl and transfer them to the gratin dish, arranging them as evenly as possible. Pour and scrape the liquids and anything remaining in the bowl into the gratin dish and distribute everything evenly, adjusting the potatoes as necessary to get an even top. Using your palms, press down on the potatoes to bring the liquids up and around them as much as possible. (It won’t necessarily completely cover them.) Cover the top evenly with the bread crumb mixture.

5
Bake until the potatoes
are tender when pierced with a fork (check the middle of the dish as well as the sides), the bread crumbs are brown, and the juices around the edges of the gratin have bubbled down and formed a dark brown rim, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

On many nights, I’ve eaten this little gratin for my dinner. Of course, you can make a large gratin (see the foundation recipe on
page 194
), but I love minis and wanted to include a recipe for an easy classic potato gratin that was just for one or two people. (This serves two as a side dish.) It takes very little time to prepare, but an hour or so to cook and cool. So throw it together (just take care to slice the potato thinly), then go open the mail, feed the dog, and have a glass of wine.