Zucchini Gratin
Slices of courgette baked in a creamy mix of crème fraîche, eggs and grated cheese, with a little garlic and a grating of nutmeg. Soft, tender, and golden, this is the classic French family gratin, made all summer long!
Ingredients
- 1 kg courgette zucchini, about 4 medium
- 1 tbsp coarse salt for draining
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 3 eggs
- 200 ml crème fraîche épaisse
- 100 gr Gruyère cheese or comté or emmental
- 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 pinch black pepper freshly ground
- 1 knob butter for the dish
Equipment
- garlic press
Instructions
1. Slice and drain the courgettes
- Wash the courgettes, leave the skin on, and cut them into slices about 5 mm thick. Toss them with the coarse salt in a colander and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse, then pat dry well with a clean tea towel.
2. Pan-fry the courgettes
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the courgettes and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until the courgettes start to soften and any water has evaporated.
3. Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and butter the gratin dish.
4. Make the custard
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and crème fraîche together. Stir in 70 gr of the cheese, the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Assemble
- Spread the courgettes in the gratin dish. Pour the egg and cream mixture over the top and scatter with the remaining 30 gr of cheese.
6. Bake
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the custard has set and the top is golden. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Draining the courgettes is the key step. They're over 90% water, and skipping this gives you a watery gratin.
- Rinse the courgettes after draining, or the gratin will be too salty.
- In France, "gruyère râpé" often means a grated emmental-style cheese. Comté or real Gruyère gives a richer flavour.
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven at 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes.