Fruit Gratin Food

FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Clean the fruits, remove the stone of the peaches and chop in cubes.
• Put all the fruit in an oven-proof dish.
• Top with the crumbled macaroons.
• Mix the orange juice with the lemon zest and sprinkle over the fruit and cookies and leave for about half an hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Whisk the egg whites in a very clean bowl, when stiff add the sugar gradually with the vanilla essence, whisk untill glossy.
• Spread the egg whites on top of the fruit and cookie mixture, try to pattern it a bit.
• Bake for approx 10 minutes (keep an eye on it) until colored to your liking.
• Serve garnished with mint and a scoop of ice cream (optional).

LOW CARB GRATIN OF FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat broiler to high and position rack to highest level.
• Wash, pat dry, and place all berries in a saute pan that fits them tightly in 1 layer and can also be used for serving. Sprinkle berries with 1 tablespoon sugar substitute, and then cover them with a thick, even layer of sour cream, letting the berries peek out around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar substitute evenly over the top, and then sprinkle the brown sugar substitute over top.
• Place the pan as close under the broiler as you can while keeping the oven door open and the handle of the pan sticking out. The berries only need to be warmed and the sugar substitute glazed. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just caramelized, watching carefully the whole time. Serve warm as you would a cobbler, and garnish with fresh mint.

FIFTEEN-MINUTE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler; set the rack as close to the heat source as possible (even 2 inches is not too close).
• Wash, pit, stem, and peel the fruit as necessary. Cut stone fruit in halves or slices as you prefer. Cut strawberries in thick slices; leave smaller berries whole. Put the fruit-there should be at least 2 cups-in a baking or gratin dish just large enough to hold it.
• Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the vanilla until it is thick and just barely holding soft peaks. Pour it over and around the fruit. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Broil carefully, allowing the cream to brown all over and even burn in a couple of spots; rotate the baking dish during broiling if necessary. Remove and serve.
• Using sour cream in place of cream will produce a strikingly different result. Sour cream is thick, rich, flavorful, and (obviously) sour; sweet cream becomes thinner and saucier in texture: Combine 1 cup sour cream with just enough milk-about 1/4 cup-to allow you to whisk it smooth. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and proceed as directed, using 1 tablespoon brown sugar for the topping.

ROOT VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13-by-10-by-2 1/2-inch baking dish.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat, add the onion and fennel and cook for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, sweet potatoes, celery root, Yukon Gold potatoes, cream, chicken stock, Gruyere, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press lightly so the vegetables lie flat all the way to the edge. Combine the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and distribute evenly on top. Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until the vegetables are very tender when tested with a small knife and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 15 minutes and serve hot.
• Make ahead: Bake in advance and reheat while the turkey rests, or assemble the dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then bake before serving.

FRUIT-AND-ALMOND GRATINS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter gratin dishes.
• Whisk together eggs, cream, confectioners sugar, almond flour, vanilla, and salt in a bowl until combined well. Quarter pears lengthwise, then peel, core, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Toss pears with lemon juice in a bowl, then divide among gratin dishes. Divide raspberries and grapes among gratin dishes, then pour custard mixture over fruit. Sprinkle with almonds and dot with butter. Transfer gratin dishes to a shallow baking pan.
• Bake until pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Preheat broiler and broil gratins 4 to 5 inches from heat until almonds are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool on a rack to warm or room temperature before serving.

GRATIN OF SUMMER BERRIES

Steps:

• Scatter the berries into medium remekins or a large, shallow heatproof dish, preferably in a single layer. Sprinkle with the lemon zest, cover and chill until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, break up the chocolate into a small heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until almost boiling, then pour onto the chocolate. Leave for 3 mins, then stir slowly until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature until thickened.
• To serve, heat the grill for a good 5 mins until glowing hot. Spoon the chocolate cream over the berries, sprinkle over the icing sugar and place under the grill. Grill for 2-3 mins until the sauce begins to brown, turning the dish if necessary. Remove and serve immediately.

GRATIN AUX FRUITS DE MER (JULIA CHILD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a heavy bottomed 2 quart saucepan, cook the onions in butter over low heat for 5 minutes, until onions are tender but not browned.
• Stir in the flour, and cook slowly for 2 minutes without coloring.
• Off heat, beat in the boiling milk, then the wine, salmon juice, and the seasonings.
• Now bring this sauce to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring.
• Boil several minutes to evaporate the alcohol in the wine, and allow the sauce to thicken considerably. Then, thin it out to a medium consistency with tablespoons of cream. Taste carefully for seasoning.
• Fold the salmon and optional ingredients into the sauce, and check seasoning again. Spread in baking dish or pastry shell.
• Sprinkle on the cheese and distribute the butter in pea-sized dots.
• Bake in upper third of oven for about 15 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.

CINNAMON HONEY FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Divide fruit evenly among 4 ramekins or small gratin dishes.
• Cover with cheese slices. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Heat in oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately (it says to serve with fancy cookies, but I didn't do that).
• Variation: to change the taste of cheese, use Gouda, Cheddar or Oka instead.
• Note: I used apples, bananas, pears and peaches. I didn't use any berries, although I wished I did. But you could since it requires any combination of fruits that you like.

FRUIT GRATIN WITH CALVADOS AND MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Halve apples lengthwise (quarter if large), leaving stem intact, and core halves with melon-ball cutter. Halve Seckel and Forelle pears or quarter Bartletts lengthwise, then core with melon-ball cutter and trim root ends.
• Melt butter in a 14- by 9-inch oval gratin dish or other 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish in middle of oven, about 2 minutes. Stir in Calvados and 3 tablespoons brown sugar, then add fresh and dried fruit and zest and turn gently to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven, gently turning fruit and basting occasionally with juices, until apples and pears are tender but not falling apart, about 1 hour. Remove dish from oven.
• Preheat broiler.
• Spoon 1/3 cup baking juices from baking dish into a bowl and stir in mascarpone and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rearrange fruit, cut sides up, in baking dish to form an even layer, if necessary, and spoon mascarpone mixture over fruit. Put confectioners sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over fruit. Broil gratin 3 inches from heat until confectioners sugar is caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Available in Italian markets and many supermarkets.

FRESH BERRY GRATIN

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss fruit gently with sugar, kirsch (if using), and salt in medium nonreactive bowl and transfer to 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan.
• Pulse bread, butter, sugar, and cinnamon in bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses.
• Sprinkle crumbs evenly over fruit and bake until crumbs are deep golden brown and fruit is hot, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack 5 minutes and serve.

10-MINUTE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat broiler; set rack as close to heat source as possible (even 2 inches is not too close).
• Wash, pit, stem and peel the fruit as necessary. Cut stone fruit in halves or slices, as you prefer. Cut strawberries in thick slices; leave smaller berries whole. Place the fruit (at least 2 cups full) in a baking or gratin dish just large enough to hold it.
• Whip cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar until it is thick and just barely holding soft peaks; stir in the vanilla extract. Pour cream over and around the fruit. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
• Broil carefully, allowing cream to brown all over and even burn in a couple of spots; rotate baking dish during broiling if necessary. Remove and serve.

GUILT FREE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place raisins, lemon juice, bourbon, and a tablespoon of water in a small saucepan and bring to sa simmer, uncovered.
• Allow to simmer till raisins are soft and plump.
• Arrange sliced fruit in a gratin dish or other samll ovenproof baking dish.
• Scatter rasins over fruit and pour remaining liquid over the fruit as well.
• Mix the bread crumbs, the spices and the lemon rind together and scatter over the fruit.
• If you absolutely must, you may add some artificial sweetner like equal or splenda to the breadcrumb mixture.
• Bake till fruit is bubbly (about 12 - 15 minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S ROOT VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the vegetables, and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the vegetables are cold, drain well, and set aside.
• Cook garlic and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic starts sizzling, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, thyme, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper; cook until mixture begins to simmer, about 5 minutes.
• Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil and spread vegetables evenly over the oil.
• Pour broth and cream mixture over vegetables and top with half of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Cover baking dish loosely with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
• Remove baking dish from the oven and top with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake uncovered until vegetables are browned, bubbling, and tender, about an additional 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes.

DULCE DE LECHE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons dulce de leche evenly on bottom of each gratin dish, then divide blueberries evenly among dishes. Arrange 4 plum quarters in each dish.
• Put gratin dishes on a baking sheet and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until dulce de leche begins to bubble, about 4 minutes, then sprinkle evenly with nuts and broil until nuts are browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve warm.
• *Available at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.