Tian Food

PROVENçAL-STYLE SUMMER VEGETABLE TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spread tomato, squash, zucchini, and eggplant slices out on a rimmed baking pan, exposing as much of each slice as possible. Sprinkle vegetables evenly with 3/8 teaspoon of the salt.
• Arrange stacked slices of vegetables in a pattern upright in a lightly greased 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Whisk together oil and garlic, and drizzle evenly over vegetables. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is lightly golden, and vegetables are tender and begin to char on top, about 25 minutes.

VEGETABLE TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
• Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

TIAN

Steps:

• In a pot, boil 2 inches of water for blanching tomatoes. Place an 8- or 9-inch cast-iron skillet on a burner over low heat, and add butter to melt.
• Peel the potatoes, and slice on a Japanese mandoline into 1/4-inch-thick disks, then arrange in a single layer circle covering the bottom of the cast-iron skillet with its melted butter, keeping the skillet on the burner and leaving the heat on while you start to build the tian.
• Add a second layer of potato slices, and season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of olive oil and cover with a lid to slightly steam while you slice the yellow onion.
• Peel the onion, then slice into even 1/4-inch or thinner rounds. The Japanese mandoline is sometimes too narrow to use for this, so you may have to use a sharp knife and do it manually.
• Layer abundantly half the onion rings evenly around the pan on top of the steamed potatoes, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, and recover the pan with a lid while you slice the zucchini.
• Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and layer half of them in concentric, just-overlapping shingled circles over the onions to create a neat layer. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil and recover with the lid while you blanch the tomatoes.
• Season the now-boiling water with a few good pinches of salt, and drop the tomatoes into the boiling water. As soon as their skins split - about 30 seconds - retrieve the tomatoes and run under cold water to quickly cool enough to handle; set aside.
• Build another ring of potato around the tian on top of the now-steaming zucchini, this time just a single layer. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and recover with the lid to steam a bit while you slip the skins off the tomatoes.
• Layer the other half of the onions as before, season and drizzle and replace the lid as before, while you split the tomatoes in half horizontally with a small sharp knife.
• Add final layer of zucchini to the tian, and season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover, and let steam while you heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the tomatoes around the top of the tian evenly, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top evenly. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. (If your skillet threatens to bubble over, slip a sheet pan underneath to prevent any burned wreckage in the bottom of your oven.)
• With a spoon, baste, and drizzle the pan juices that accumulate in the tian over the top when you remove it from the oven at the end. Allow the tian to cool, settle and kind of meld for an hour before eating.

TIAN OF CRAB AND AVOCADO

Steps:

• Mix the crab meat, curry powder, lime, mayonnaise and coriander.
• In a separate bowl mash the avocado with some seasoning and add the tomato and onion.
• Split the avocado and crab mixtures into two portions.
• Using a ring mould, pack first the avocado then top with the crab (keep a few flakes of white meat to scatter on top).
• Carefully remove the ring, then if you have the time, chill the Tian a little in the fridge before serving.