Gratin () is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a
browned crust, often using
breadcrumbs,
grated cheese, egg or butter.
[Courtine, Robert J. (ed.) (2003) ''The Concise Larousse Gastronomique'' London: Hamlyn ] The term may be applied to any dish made using this method. Gratin is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an
overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is often served in its baking dish.
A ''gratin dish'' is a shallow oven-proof container used to prepare gratins and similar dishes.
Terminology
The
etymology
Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...
of gratin is from the
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...
words ''gratter'', meaning "to scrape" or "to grate" (for example, "scrapings" of bread or cheese), and ''gratiné'', from the transitive verb form of the word for crust or skin. The technique predates the current name, which did not appear in English until 1846 (''
OED'', ''s.v.'' "gratin").
In addition to the well-known potato dishes such as ''
gratin dauphinois'', ''gratin'' may be applied to many other bases of meat, fish, vegetables, or pasta.
Preparations
Many gratinéed dishes are topped with
béchamel,
mornay or other sauces.
Potato-based
Potatoes gratiné
''Potatoes gratiné'' is one of the most common gratins and is known by various names, including "gratin potatoes" and "Gratin de pommes de terre." Slices of boiled potato are put in a buttered fireproof dish, sprinkled with cheese, and browned in the oven or under the grill (broiler). They may also be baked under a steamed crust of potatoes.
[Elvia Firuski; Maurice Firuski (eds.) (1952) ''The Best of Boulestin''. London: William Heinemann. p. 249.] In North America, the dish is referred to variously as ''funeral potatoes,'' ''potatoes au gratin,'' ''scalloped potatoes,'' or ''au gratin potatoes.'' In French-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as ''patates au gratin.'' Australians and New Zealanders refer to it as ''scalloped potatoes'' or ''potato bake.'' In North America, traditionally ''au gratin potatoes'' include cheese, and ''scalloped potatoes'' do not, but this classic differentiation has been lost to time.
Pommes de terre gratinées
To make ''pommes de terre gratinées'', or "potatoes with cheese," according to the recipe of
Marcel Boulestin
Xavier Marcel Boulestin (1878 – 20 September 1943) was a French chef, restaurateur, and the author of cookery books that popularised French cuisine in the English-speaking world.
Born in Poitiers in France (Poitou region), Boulestin tried a ...
, large floury potatoes are baked in the oven, then halved and the flesh scooped from the skins. The flesh is mashed with butter, cream, grated cheese, and seasoning(s). The mix is then scooped back into the skins, arranged in a baking dish, sprinkled with grated cheese, and browned in the oven or under the grill. This preparation is also called twice-baked potatoes.
[
]
Gratin dauphinois
''Gratin dauphinois'' is a speciality of the Dauphiné
The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois.
In the 12th centu ...
region of France. The dish is typically made with thinly sliced and layered potatoes, and cream, cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic. Some recipes add cheese and eggs.[Elizabeth David (1964 960 ''French Provincial Cooking''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 251–2.] It is called potatoes au gratin in American English.
Gratin savoyard
Gratin savoyard is a similar dish found in the adjacent Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...
(Savoy) department. It consists of alternating layers of sliced potatoes, Beaufort cheese
Beaufort () is a firm, raw cow's milk cheese associated with the gruyère family. An Alpine cheese, it is produced in Beaufortain, Tarentaise valley and Maurienne, which are located in the Savoie region of the French Alps.
Varieties
There a ...
, and pieces of butter, with bouillon as the liquid. Cream is not used.
Other preparations
Pasta
The Neapolitan dish pasta al gratin (also referred to as pasta au gratin in American English) may be made with various kinds of pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ...
, including penne
Penne () is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ''penna'' (meaning " feather" o ...
, rigatoni, fusilli
Fusilli () are a variety of pasta that are formed into corkscrew or helical shapes. The word ''fusilli'' presumably comes from ''fuso'' ("spindle"), as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over the thin strips of pasta t ...
/ spirelli, macaroni
Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machine ...
, or tagliatelle. The pasta is cooked al dente
In cooking, al dente () describes pasta or rice that is cooked to be firm to the bite. The etymology is Italian "to the tooth".
In contemporary Italian cooking, the term identifies the ideal consistency for pasta and involves a brief cooking t ...
, then covered with béchamel sauce
Bechamel sauce ( ) is a sauce traditionally made from a white roux (butter and flour in a 1:1 mixture by weight) and milk. Bechamel may also be referred to as besciamella (Italy), besamel (Greece), or white sauce (U.S.). French, Italian and Gree ...
, cheese (typically a mixture including scamorza
Scamorza () is a Southern Italian cow's milk cheese. It can also be made from other milks, but that is less common. It is a stretched-curd cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop thr ...
, mozzarella
Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method.
Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...
or parmesan
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' ...
) and breadcrumbs, then baked.
Seafood
''Sole au gratin'' is a sole gratin, often covered with mushrooms. Many fish-based gratins use a white gratin sauce and cheese and brown quickly. ''Cozze gratinate'' is a mussel
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...
s-based recipe found in Italy.
'' Janssons frestelse'' ("Jansson's Temptation") is a Swedish gratin of potatoes, onions, and preserved fish, somewhat similar to a French dish of potatoes with anchovies.
Vegetable
''Gratin Languedocien'' is made with eggplant
Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit.
Mo ...
and tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
, covered in breadcrumbs and oil, then browned. This dish is similar to the Italian dish known as ''melanzane alla parmigiana
Parmigiana (, ), also called parmigiana di melanzane , melanzane alla parmigiana , or eggplant parmesan, is an Italian dish made with fried, sliced eggplant layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. The origin of the dish is claimed by ...
''. Other vegetables commonly used in gratin dishes include cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species ''Brassica oleracea'' in the genus '' Brassica'', which is in the Brassicaceae (or mustard) family. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head is eaten – t ...
, spinach
Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...
, and butternut squash.
See also
* List of casserole dishes
References
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Casserole dishes
French cuisine
Cuisine of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Potato dishes
Baked foods