A gratin brings life to the table. A tasty assemblage sizzles under a golden brown crust, a layer of cheese, egg, milk or cream baked under strong top heat: Noodles and all sorts of vegetables – from aubergines to squash, from broccoli to Savoy cabbage. But fish and meat can also be cooked “au gratin”, preferably cut into small pieces or as ragout.

What’s important is to grease casserole dishes, such as the Miele Gourmet oven dish, so that nothing sticks inside of them. With pre-cooked ingredients in an oven heated to 200 degrees the gratin takes only about 20 minutes to achieve a perfect result. So, first brown the meat, blanch the vegetables and boil noodles until al dente. However, tender items such as fish or finely grated potatoes may be put in the casserole dish still raw, such as this classic from France: Gratin dauphinois from the Dauphiné region in the south of France. For this, slices of potatoes are arranged in the dish like roofing tiles and covered with a mixture of eggs, milk, double cream and grated Gruyere cheese. Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and nutmeg, the layered creation spends only as much time in the oven until the potatoes are encased in brown. As is well-known, the Italians also like hearty backed creations, a gratin called lasagne in addition to pizza. For the al forno type bands of noodles, Bolognese sauce and béchamel sauce as well as grated Parmesan are put into three layers.

A sweet gratin such as this makes a tasty dessert: Slices of apples and broken up raisin bread, baked in the oven with a whisked crème made of eggs, milk, vanilla sugar and dabs of butter. Serve straight from the oven.

Text: Nicoline Haas



The following recipes for gratins are available in our big recipe database: