gratin

Avocado gratin

Gratin is a widely used culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter ^[1][2][3]. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or broiled to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish^[1].

Terminology

The etymology of gratin is from the French language in which the word "gratter" meaning to "to scrape" as of the "scrapings" of bread or cheese, and gratiné, from the transitive verb form of the word for crust^[4]. The technique predates the current name which did not appear in English until 1846 (OED, s.v. "gratin").

Cooking au gratin is a technique rather than exclusively a preparation of potatoes, such as a gratin dauphinois, and many other foods may be prepared in this way, including various meat and pasta dishes^[5], fennel, leeks, crabmeat, celeriac, and aubergines^[1].

Gratin dish refers to the shallow oven-proof container traditionally used to prepare gratins.

The term le gratin signifies the "upper crust" of Parisian society^[6], and, as gratin, has since been borrowed into English.^[7].

Preparations

Gratin dauphinois

Potatoes gratiné

Potatoes gratiné is one of the most common of gratins and is known by various names including gratin dauphinois (see below). In North America, the dish is referred to variously as scalloped potatoes, potatoes au gratin or au gratin potatoes. (Note that the term scalloped originally referred to a style of seafood dish rather than to one specifically based on the scallop) ^[8]. In French-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as pommes de terre au gratin. Australians often refer to it simply as a potato bake.

Gratin dauphinois

The name gratin dauphinois refers to the Dauphiné region of France, where this method of preparing potatoes is a specialty. The ingredients composing a typical gratin dauphinois are thinly sliced and layered potatoes and cream cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic^[1]. Eggs may sometimes be mixed with milk and cream^[1]. Gratin savoyard, a variation found in the neighbouring Savoie region, consists of alternating layers of sliced potatoes, Beaufort cheese, and bits of butter, with bouillon as the liquid.^[9][1]

Other preparations

Meats

Sole au gratin is a raw fish style of gratin, which often is covered with a mushroom covering. Many fish based gratins use a white gratin sauce and cheese, and achieve browning quickly.^[3] A mussels based recipe, Cozze gratinate is found in Italy.

Vegetable

Gratin Languedocien is a preparation made with eggplant and tomato, covered in breadcrumbs and oil, then browned.^[3]. This dish is similar to the Italian dish known as melanzane alla parmigiana. Other vegetables commonly used in gratin dishes include avocado, cauliflower,^[10] spinach,^[11] and butternut squash.^[12]

Potatoes and onions au gratin with anchovies are as traditional in Sweden, where the dish is known as Janssons frestelse, as they are in France^[13].

Some preparations make use of béchamel sauce or mornay sauce.

See also

Food portal

• Lyonnaise potatoes

References

External links

Look up gratin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Gratin Dauphinois Recipe