I wish I could claim credit for this fabulous pumpkin gratin, but in fact Georges Blanc gave me the recipe after I visited his three-star kitchens near Macon last month. Blanc, the current scion of a culinary dynasty stretching back four generations, is apparently so proficient at his art that he doesn’t need to think about proportions. He sent me the list of ingredients and instructions without specifying the quantities! So I have done my best, and any shortcomings with this recipe are my fault, and not his.
Gratin de potiron Georges Blanc / George Blanc’s pumpkin gratin
So there you have it, in plenty of time for Thanksgiving if you’d like to do something different this year. (My apologies to Canadian readers — I didn’t get the recipe in time for your Thanksgiving.) For those of you who may be interested in my experiences with M. Blanc — one of France’s most renowned and revered chefs — I wrote a piece about my pre-Thanksgiving visit with him that was published last month in the International Herald Tribune (now the International New York Times). Click here to read it. All I have to add on the subject is that when I served this gratin to a table of French guests, all of whom appreciate great food, there were oohs and aahs all around and requests for more. But they’d eaten it all. For a reason. This is a rich dish, so small portions are de rigueur.
And speaking of pumpkin, I have discovered a great recipe for vegan pumpkin chocolate chip muffins on the site of a young blogger friend, Carmen Priotto. She has a fine collection of vegan recipes, not necessarily French, but they all look delicious. Meantime I have updated this site’s vegan menus for fall, and will update the menus for vegetarians and omnivores in the coming days. Happy cooking!
Hi Meg,
a couple of years ago after the splendid Monet exhibition I enjoyed a splendid meal at your table. Creativity takes so many different forms in life.
Take care, Astrid
Yes, Astrid, creativity comes in all sorts of guises. I always said that cooking was my personal art form — until I met up with you and Margaret Dyer and tried my hand at pastels. For anyone interested, Astrid Volquardsen is another fabulous pastel artist and lives in Germany. We met at Margaret’s class at La Bonne Etoile, a genial artists’ retreat in the Provins region east of Paris.
Would like to subscribe to your emails.
Hello Ruth! To subscribe, simply click on the envelope at the top of the page and complete the form. You will then receive an email requesting confirmation. Click on the link in the email, and that’s it. You will receive notification of each new blog post (once a week). Many thanks for your interest! Best, Meg
Love pumpkins-to eat-to look at. Thank you Margaret.
Yes, thank you, Margaret. And by the way, that’s Margaret Dyer, pastel artist extraordinaire and my beloved mentor. She generously shared my latest post on her blog. To visit her site, go to: http://margaretdyer.blogspot.fr/
Thanks to Margaret Dyer. Lovely to read the recipes. Thank you.