Contrary to popular belief, gratin is not a specific dish, but rather a special method of cooking. It is believed that for the first time potatoes were prepared using the "o-gratin" method.
What is gratin?
The word "gratin" is translated from French as "baked" or "casserole". This method involves baking food until it is crispy and appetizing. It is noteworthy that it can be prepared from both sweet and savory ingredients. In the case of the former, heavy cream and butter must be included in the composition, and cheese is usually added to unsweetened dishes.
The French consider gratin dofinua (gratin dauphinua) - baked potatoes with heavy cream and cheese to be a classic, "original" version of this dish. However, nowadays au gratin dishes are made from a wide variety of ingredients: poultry, fish, vegetables, cereals, berries and fruits. One thing is invariable - a ruddy crust.
History of the dish
The gratin, and in particular the dauphinua gratin, was born thanks to the work of French chefs. The modern name of the dish comes from the name of the region in the south-east of France - Dauphiné. Most likely, this is due to the fact that the first mention of gratin in the history of French cuisine dates back to this part of the country. In 1788, one of the supreme rulers of the Dauphiné ordered that a dish of o-gratin potatoes should be served at a dinner for city officials in the Gap district.
The government's decree was justified by the threat of global hunger of the population associated with the approaching Great French Revolution. The rulers of France understood that it was urgent to find a product that, in small quantities, could satisfy the physiological need for food. At that time, potatoes had existed for decades on the territory of the country, in some places they were even grown. But most of the population treated this strange earthen tuber ambiguously, sometimes even dismissively.
A special role in the dislike for the plant was played by the fact that many people were poisoned because of its ground fruits. Uninformed citizens did not know that only tubers should be eaten, and the top contains a large amount of solanine - an extremely toxic and poisonous substance that causes digestive disorders, nausea, vomiting, disorientation in space, and in severe cases - coma and death. The task of scientists of that time was to educate the population about the rules for germinating and eating the product.
Representatives of royal families and noble rulers began by all means to promote the cultivation of potatoes and their inclusion in the diet. Many scientists and botanists of the 18th century wrote treatises on the benefits and nutritional value of this product, on its unsurpassed ability to satisfy hunger. The heiress to the throne, Marie Antoinette, went even further - she began to weave potato flowers into her hair to show that potatoes are not only satisfying and tasty, but also fashionable.
Thus, gratin, like other potato dishes, was originally targeted at the poorest strata of society so that they simply would not starve to death in the most difficult period of history. Since the end of the French Revolution, gratin has most often been found in various bistros and eateries. Gradually, step by step, gratin gained such popularity that menus of the most elite restaurants in France are now indispensable without it, and the recipe itself has spread all over the world.
The classic gratin recipe
According to experienced French chefs, dauphinua gratin should be made from old, not young, potatoes. In the first, there is several times more starch, which is necessary for the preparation of this dish, because the creamy sauce thickens precisely thanks to it. In addition, in no case should you neglect the main spice - nutmeg, and it is very desirable that it be freshly grated.
Ingredients for making Gratin Dofinua:
- late-ripening potatoes - 0.5 kg;
- fat cream (35%) - 70 g;
- milk 3, 2% - 200 ml;
- garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- nutmeg - a pinch;
- salt, black pepper - to taste;
- butter - for greasing the mold;
- parmesan to taste.
How to cook
- Peel the potatoes and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Cut the tubers into very thin circles - 3-4 mm maximum. It is advisable to use a vegetable peeler for this purpose, because manually thin circles will have to be cut for more than one hour, and they still will not work out so even. Be careful, at this stage, in no case should you soak the mugs and rinse them, so as not to wash out the starch that is valuable to us.
- In a small saucepan, combine milk, cream, and a large pinch of nutmeg. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and leave to infuse under the lid for 10 minutes.
- At this time, tackle some chopped potatoes. Liberally grease a glass dish with butter, lay out the first layer of potatoes. Spread a little chopped garlic over it, salt. Do this with each new layer of potatoes until it ends.
- Pour the creamy sauce over the potatoes. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven, preheated to 170 degrees, for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove the foil from the mold, place a few small pieces of butter on the surface of the dish and lightly sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until a delicious crust forms.
- Before serving, check the readiness of the potatoes with a knife - the inner layers of the dish should not crunch when cut.
- Serve the delicious French dish hot, garnished with fresh herbs if desired.
Other o-gratin recipes
Chicken gratin with vegetables
Ingredients
- chicken fillet - 0.5 kg;
- zucchini - 1 pc;
- leeks - 70 g;
- Dried Provencal herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil) - a pinch;
- nutmeg - a pinch.
- grated cheese - 100 g;
- salt, black pepper - to taste.
How to cook
- Rinse the chicken fillet and grind it into minced meat using a blender or meat grinder, salt and pepper.
- Wash the zucchini and cut into circles. If the vegetable is young, then you do not need to remove the peel.
- Grease the mold with butter, put the minced meat on the bottom. Sprinkle with leeks, chopped into rings, sprinkle with Provencal herbs. Top with zucchini cut into rings, salt and sprinkle with grated cheese and season with nutmeg.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees.
Apple gratin
Ingredients
- apples - 1 kg;
- brown sugar - 70 g;
- walnuts - 50 g;
- butter - 50 g;
- cream (22% - 35%) - 200 ml;
- cinnamon, nutmeg - a pinch.
How to cook
- Peel the apples, remove the core and grate on a coarse grater. If the apples are sour, sweeten them with sugar.
- Grind the nuts with a blender or in a bag, rolling them well with a rolling pin. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cream.
- Lubricate the pan with butter. Put the grated apples in a thin layer, cover with cream and walnuts. Sprinkle generously with sugar, preferably brown.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 190 degrees, until the surface of the dish is browned.
- The baked apple gratin needs to be completely cooled to room temperature, because the branded crust will appear only after cooling down.
Vegetable gratin
Ingredients
- zucchini - 1 pc;
- carrots - 1 pc;
- cauliflower - 300 g;
- fat cream - 200 ml;
- hard cheese - 100 g;
- salt, pepper, spices - to taste.
How to cook
- Wash the zucchini and carrots and cut into very thin circles, do not disassemble the cabbage.
- Place a layer of carrots in a buttered dish and season with salt and pepper. Then repeat all this with the courgette.
- Place cauliflower on top of other vegetables, season it. Pour heavy cream over vegetables and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
