Handmade Gratin Dishes

For me, It’s just not a kitchen without a collection of oven-to-table gratin dishes. Ceramic, enameled cast-iron, all in different sizes, shapes and colors are among my favorite dishes to collect and to use.

I am thrilled with Elaine Corn’s newest style gratin dish, made exclusively for La Vie Rustic. Rectangular, in hues of red, golds, blues and browns, with accents of white on the outer edges. More…

Gratins, from the verb gratiner, to form a crust,  are a mainstay in the French kitchen and in mine as well, especially vegetable  gratins .They are one of the easiest of dishes to make.

The vegetables vary according to the season. In winter, broccoli and cauliflower, in spring asparagus and artichokes, in summer think peppers and eggplant, and in fall, butternut squash. Parcook the vegetables, put them in a buttered gratin dish, pour over some bechemel sauce and top with grated cheese and a sprinkle of buttered bread crumbs, then bake at 350 degrees until a golden  crust has formed and the sauce is bubbling. Take the dish to the table and serve hot, scooping out steaming spoonfuls.  For more about gratins and the recipe for my Leek Gratin