Gratin de courgettes

gratin-courgettes2

Zucchini gratin

This recipe may be prepared ahead of time and reheated. For variation, try a combination of cheeses, like gruyère with grated parmesan or crumbled goat cheese. A vegan version would omit the cream and cheese, substituting 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 cup bread crumbs.

2 large or 3 medium zucchini
1 tsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. crème fraîche or heavy cream
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated gruyère or a similar cheese

Slice the zucchini into rounds about 1/8 inch (5 mm) thick. Steam for 5 minutes in a steamer.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 (350 F, 180 C) Use the olive oil to oil a small gratin dish or a baking dish, preferably ceramic or glass.

nutmegIn a mixing bowl, combine the cream, zucchini rounds, garlic, salt, nutmeg, thyme and pepper. For best results, use a whole nutmeg seed and grate it right over the dish with a nutmeg grater (at right). How much to use is a matter of taste, but don’t overdo.

gratin-courgettes1Place the zucchini in the baking dish in layers. Spoon over any remaining sauce. Cover with the grated cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Serves 2-3. For a larger crowd, double or triple the recipe.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

7 Responses to Gratin de courgettes

  1. John D. says:

    Second time not just lucky but delicious. Light zucch steaming makes for light crunchiness. Thanks

  2. John D. says:

    Excellent, quite enjoyable. Esp. on a chilly nay cold evening. But what is the story about “layer” the zucchini mixture? It’s all a mixture. Unless you layer with grated cheese? My take was to grate some old gouda and mix it in, and then use store-bought grated gruyère to cover it. Worked out fine.

    • Meg says:

      Hello and thanks for this helpful comment. The idea is to place the zucchini slices in the baking dish in layers after bathing them in the sauce. This is simply for esthetics. You can also pour the zucchini in any which way — the gratin will taste just as good!

  3. Whoops, almost grated a whole nutmeg in there (“Use a whole nutmeg seed…”). Never was too good at reading the fine print… Delicious tho

    • Meg says:

      Mark, ha ha! Well actually, if you look at the top of the recipe, the ingredients list calls for 1/4 tsp. of grated nutmeg — but that’s admittedly hard to measure when you’re grating a whole nutmeg kernel over a dish. My advice would be to grate until the dish is covered with a thin sprinkling of nutmeg. Exactly how much depends on your taste for this spice. If in doubt, I would advise you to err on the side of caution.

  4. Meg says:

    Ann, your blog is delicious! It’s really fun to follow your adventures in food — and I am so enjoying your new Tuesdays. Congratulations for that.

  5. Ann says:

    Yum! Thanks for the shout-out, Meg! Chez Loulou’s cheese guide is one of my favorite resources. This gratin sounds delish. I always add herbes de Provence, but love the variarion of nutmeg and thyme.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.