Gratin

Every time I make this flageolet gratin, I think about my first days at Chez Panisse. Everything went smoothly the first week. It seemed my studying—I had read La Varenne Pratique cover to cover and was working my way through Larousse Gastronomique—had paid off, until one of the cooks asked me to go and get a bag of “flageolets” from the storeroom. All of the blood rushed to my face. Too embarrassed to admit I didn’t know what he was talking about, I scurried away, hoping for divine intervention. In my panic, I spotted a French cookbook and quickly read that flageolets were dried kidney-shaped French beans. I found the beans in the pantry, wiped the sweat from my brow, and rushed back to my station. Saved— until the next time!

One particularly chilly weekend (yes, we have those here every once in a while), I needed a dish that would be opulent and soul-satisfying. At first, duck braised in red wine came to mind. But, I wanted something even more intense and a little bit sweet, and I arrived at Banyuls, a fortified wine from the south of France. Extracted from grenache grapes grown on the rocky, terraced vineyards that overlook the sea, Banyuls is classically paired with chocolate and has deep notes of chestnut, mocha, and dried fruit. As the duck and Banyuls cooked together slowly in the oven, the deeply concentrated wine permeated the meat and produced a rich ruby broth. A gratin of turnips and potatoes dotted with prunes and baked with cream proved the perfect companion for the tender, falling-apart duck bathed in crimson juices.

Everyone has had berries in cobblers and pies, but when people see this gratinéed dessert, their eyebrows rise in curious anticipation. The raspberries and custard are cooked briefly under the broiler, creating a delicious warm crust that only partially hides the tart berries and warm cream beneath. Once you learn this technique, you can use it with other berries, or winter, a gratin made with sautéed apples or pears with dried fruit is delicious, too. Choose an attractive dish that can go from oven to table.

This is a dessert I serve all year round with whatever fruit is ripe. I always include orange segments though, as a reminder of the citrus in the sabayon sauce. You can make each serving of this dessert as small or large as you want, depending on how much fruit you use. In its simplicity, c’est bon!

The mimolette cheese in this dish makes it look like a favorite Kraft product and will have your kids chomping at the bit to eat cauliflower.

Every time I make this gratin I get the same response: “This is so good!” Honestly, though, when you combine potatoes and squash with cream, sage, and cheese, how could it not be amazing? This gratin is especially well suited for dinner parties or any other time you need a hearty, make-ahead side dish. It scales up easily (just increase the ingredients and baking dishes accordingly), and it reheats wonderfully.

No one, no matter how calorie conscious, can pass up this luscious gratin. Winery chef Tom Sixsmith has perfected it, finding just the right proportion of potato to celery root and the ideal ratio of milk to cream. Serve with a grilled steak or a pork roast, or with a standing rib roast for a special occasion.

Adapted from a recipe from chef Gary Danko, who participated in the 1994 Workshop, this gratin relies on bread crumbs sprinkled between the vegetable layers to absorb the savory juices. After the gratin cools and settles, you can slice it like a cake and the layers will hold together. All the flavors that suggest a Provençal summer are gathered here—garlic and basil, tomato, fennel, and thyme. Serve the gratin with roast or grilled lamb or a store-bought spit-roasted chicken. Because it tastes best warm or at room temperature, you can bake it before dinner guests arrive.

Smothered in a rich, creamy Gruyère-cheese sauce, then sprinkled with toasted parmesan bread crumbs, cauliflower becomes a favorite-comfort-food contender.

THIS IS A RECIPE WE CREATED FOR BEECHER’S. Although it was popular, it didn’t keep well in the store format so we stopped selling it, much to the disappointment of our loyal customers. We get asked for the recipe for this classic cheesy potato dish all the time, so here it is.

KALE SEEMS TO INTIMIDATE PEOPLE. Maybe it’s the large dark green leaves and the tough thick stalks that spill over the grocery bins. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame. Leafy kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and extremely versatile. This recipe takes a detour from the classic gratin: Brown rice replaces potatoes, and the earthiness of the kale creates a healthy, hearty side dish. You can use any variety of kale in this dish, but my favorite is the dinosaur variety for its full flavor.

Earthenware dishes with a large surface area, that are shallow, low sided, and glazed on the inside, are perfect for slow-cooking in the oven and the formation of the golden crust of a gratin.

The most common summer squashes are green zucchini, the light green flying-saucer-shaped patty pan, and the gooseneck-shaped yellow crookneck. More obscure varieties with different flavors and textures can be found at farmers’ markets. One of my favorites is Costata Romanesco, a ribbed, mottled-green, zucchini-shaped squash. It has a sweet flavor and a texture that doesn’t break down while cooking. Choose small, firm squash with bright skin. Larger ones tend to be watery and seedy. Wash the squashes or rub them clean with a damp cloth. Trim off and discard both the blossom and stem ends. Once cut, squash can be stored in the refrigerator under a damp towel for several hours. The blossoms of summer squash are good to eat as well. Trim off their stems and shake them well to rid them of any bugs they may be harboring. Chop the blossoms, sauté them, and add to an omelet, a pasta sauce, or a risotto. Or cook them whole, stuffed with cheese perhaps, and poached, baked, or dipped in a simple batter and fried.

Baking potatoes, boiling potatoes, new potatoes, and fingerling potatoes—there are many kinds of each to choose from, some yellow, some blue or red. The red-skinned potatoes oft en called boiling potatoes have dense, white, waxy flesh that holds its shape when boiled. They won’t do very well for baking and make terrible mashed potatoes, turning gluey when mashed. Baking potatoes usually have light brown skins with white flesh that is dry and fluff y when cooked. These are best for baking and for French fries. Kennebecs and russets are common varieties. The tastiest, most versatile potatoes are the yellow-fleshed varieties such as Yellow Finn, German Butterball, and Yukon Gold. The flesh of these potatoes has a texture between that of a baker and a boiler. They have enough waxy starch to hold together when boiled, but not so much that they can’t be mashed—and best of all they are full of flavor, much more so than any white-fleshed variety. New potatoes are those that are dug while the plants are still green in the fields and have thin shaggy skins. They are a real treat. Fingerlings are smaller potatoes shaped, as you might guess, like long thin fingers. Some delicious varieties to try are Russian Banana, German, and Ruby Crescent. Select potatoes that are firm and free of discolored spots. Don’t buy potatoes that have green on the skin. This is caused by exposure to light and may indicate the presence of solanine, which is toxic. The green may be peeled away, but it is better to avoid having to do so. Store potatoes in a bag or cupboard away from any light. New potatoes and fingerlings never need to be peeled; just wash them well before cooking. Other potatoes should be peeled, depending on the recipe and your wishes. Once peeled, potatoes should be kept submerged in water to keep them from turning brown. I like this best when the potatoes are sliced quite thin (a mandoline makes this easy): that way the potato slices are less likely to curl up and burn on the edges. Yukon Gold and other waxy, yellow-fleshed potatoes keep their texture in a gratin; floury potatoes like russets fall apart.

This is a gratin made with a thin white sauce (béchamel), rather than one layered with milk, or with cream and broth. I use this method to cook other vegetables, such as cauliflower, wilted greens, or asparagus.

Brussels sprouts look like tiny cabbages, and indeed they are part of the cabbage family. Though they come in both red and green, the green variety is by far the more common. Brussels sprouts grow on tall, heavy stalks and make quite a dramatic sight when sold still on the stalk at the farmers’ market. Choose smaller sprouts that are tightly closed, bright in color, and have no yellowing leaves. They should feel firm and heavy for their size. To prepare the sprouts, remove and discard any damaged outer leaves and trim the stem, cutting it close up to the bottom of the sprout. Brussels sprouts can be cooked whole or cut up, or all the leaves can be separated from the core. Give the prepared sprouts a quick wash and drain them before using.