Contrary to popular belief, "гратен" is not some certain dish, but rather special method of preparation of dishes. It is considered that for the first time by way "about-graten" potatoes were made.
What is "гратен"?
The word "gratin" is translated from French as "baked" or "casserole". This method assumes roasting of dishes to an appetizing crisp. It is remarkable that it can be preparing both from sweet, and from unsweetened ingredients. In a case with the first heavy cream and butter have to be a part, and usually add cheese to unsweetened dishes.
The French consider classical, "initial" option of this dish gratin dofinua (гратен a dofinua) – potatoes baked with heavy cream and cheese. However now dishes of "au gratin" are cooked from various ingredients: birds, fishes, vegetables, grain, berries and fruit. Steadily one – a ruddy crust.
Dish history
Graten, and in particular – гратен a dofinua, was born thanks to work of the French culinary specialists. The modern name of a dish comes from the name of the area in the southeast of France – the Dauphin. Most likely, it is connected with the fact that the first mention of a graten in the history of the French cookery goes back just to this part of the country. In 1788 one of the Supreme masters the Dauphin disposed that on a lunch for city employees of the District of Gap surely there was potatoes dish, prepared by method "about-graten".
The decree of the power was proved by threat of global hunger of the population connected with the coming Great French revolution. Governors of France understood that it is necessary to find urgently a product which in small quantity could satisfy the physiological need for food. Potatoes at that time existed decades in the territory of the country, here and there it was even grown up. But the most part of the population belonged to this strange earth tuber ambiguously, sometimes even scornfully.
The special role in dislike for a plant was played that many people were poisoned because of its land fruits. Unaware citizens didn't know that it is necessary to eat only tubers, and the top contains a large number corned beef – extremely toxic and toxic agent causing digestion violations, nausea, vomiting, a disorientation in space, and in hard cases – a coma and death. The task of scientists of that time consisted in education of the population about rules of a prorashchivaniye and the use of a product in food.
Representatives of the royal families and notable governors began to promote in every way cultivation of potato and its inclusion in a diet. Many scientists and botanists of the 18th century wrote treatises about advantage and nutrition value of this product, about its unsurpassed ability to satisfy hunger. The heir to the throne Marie Antoinette went further away – she began to interweave potatoes flowers to herself into hair to show that potatoes – it not only is nourishing and tasty, but also it is fashionable.
Thus, гратен, as well as other potatoes dishes, it was originally focused on the poorest population groups that they simply didn't die of hunger in the most difficult piece of history. Since the end of the French revolution гратен most often he could be met in various bistros and eateries. Gradually, step by step гратен found such popularity that menus of the most elite restaurants of France don't do without it now, and the recipe scattered worldwide.
Classical recipe of a graten
According to experienced French cooks, гратен a dofinua has to be cooked from old, but not young potato. In the first many times there is more starch that is necessary for preparation of this dish, creamy sauce gets denser exactly thanks to it. Besides, it isn't necessary to neglect the main spice at all – nutmeg, and it is very desirable that it was svezhenaterty.
Ingredients for preparation of Gratin Dofinua:
- late-grown potato – 0.5 kg;
- heavy cream (35%) – 70 g;
- milk of 3.2% – 200 ml;
- garlic – 2-3 cloves;
- nutmeg – a pinch;
- salt, black pepper – to taste;
- desi – for greasing of a form;
- parmesan – to taste.
How to prepare
- Peel potatoes and carefully wash out it. Dry paper towels.
- Cut tubers on very thin circles – at most 3-4 mm. It is desirable for this purpose to use the peeler, manually thin circles should be cut not one hour, and such equal all of them equally won't turn out. Be attentive, at this stage it is impossible to presoak circles at all and to wash out them not to wash up starch, valuable to us.
- In a small saucepan mix milk, cream and a big pinch of nutmeg. Bring to the boil, remove from fire and leave to infuse under a cover of 10 minutes.
- At this time be engaged in the cut potatoes. Plentifully grease a glass form with a desi, lay out the first layer of potatoes. Distribute on it a little crushed garlic, salt. Act this way with each new layer of potatoes until it ends.
- Fill in potatoes with creamy sauce. Cover a form with a foil and put in the oven warmed up to 170 degrees for 40 minutes.
- In 40 minutes remove a foil from a form, put several small pieces of a desi on a dish surface and slightly powder with a grated cheese. Bake 15-20 more minutes, the appetizing crust isn't formed yet.
- Before giving check readiness of potatoes by means of a knife – inside layers of a dish shouldn't crackle when cutting.
- Serve the tasty French dish hot, at will having decorated with fresh greens.
Other recipes "about-graten"
Graten from chicken with vegetables
Ingredients
- chicken fillet – 0.5 kg;
- squash – 1 piece;
- leek – 70 g;
- Provence herbs dried (a thyme, rosemary, a basil) – a pinch;
- nutmeg – a pinch.
- grated cheese – 100 g;
- salt, black sprinkling pepper – to taste.
How to prepare
- Wash out chicken fillet and crush it in forcemeat by means of the blender or the meat grinder, salt and pepper.
- Wash a squash and cut on circles. If vegetable young, then it isn't necessary to rind.
- Oil a form, lay out forcemeat on a bottom. Strew with the leek cut on rings, strew with Provence herbs. From above lay out the squash cut on rings, salt it and strew with a grated cheese and season with nutmeg.
- Bake 20-25 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.
Apple гратен
Ingredients
- apples – 1 kg;
- refiner syrup - 70 g;
- walnuts – 50 g;
- desi - 50 g;
- cream (22% - 35%) - 200 ml;
- cinnamon, nutmeg – a pinch.
How to prepare
- Peel apples, remove a core and grate. If apples sour, sweeten them with sugar.
- Crush nuts by means of the blender or in a package, having properly rolled them a rolling pin. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and fill in with cream.
- Grease a form with a desi. Lay out a thin layer grated apples, fill in with cream with walnut. Plentifully sugar, it is desirable brown.
- Bake 15 minutes at a temperature of 190 degrees until the surface of a dish blushes.
- The baked apple graten needs to cool down completely to room temperature, the signature crust will appear only after cooling.
Vegetable гратен
Ingredients
- squash – 1 piece;
- carrots – 1 piece;
- cauliflower – 300 g;
- heavy cream – 200 ml;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- salt, pepper, spices – to taste.
How to prepare
- Wash a squash and carrots and cut on very thin circles, cabbage sort not inflorescences.
- Lay out a carrots layer in the oiled form, season with salt and pepper. Then repeat all this with a squash.
- Over other vegetables lay out a cauliflower, season it. Fill in vegetables with heavy cream and powder with cheese.
- Bake at a temperature of 180 degrees of 25-30 minutes.