Friday, July 29, 2011

Au Gratin


Au Gratin is a French dish that is baked to form a golden crust on top and traditionally served in a shallow baking dish.     Au gratin is usually made with white sauce and two or more ingredients mixed with it and then baked.

 The au gratin I have made here is with vegetables and chicken. I learned how to make this dish from my mom who taught me a little trick to spice it up a bit and cater it to the Indian taste.  I have used grated cheddar cheese here to form the golden crust on top.
 Au gratin is easy to make and takes very little time to prepare. It can be eaten plain and also goes great with garlic bread and soup.

To make this dish you will need
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Serves - 3 people

Ingredients

1 cup warm milk
2tbsps all purpose flour(maida)
1 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder(freshly ground)
3 1/2 tbsps oil
salt to taste
1/2 cup vegetables of your choice
1/2 cup shredded chicken
1/2 tsp green chilli paste


Procedure
For making white sauce

  • Heat 2 1/2 tbsps oil in a pan. Once it's heated well add the all purpose flour to it and stir. Do not let the flour change colour. It will start to bubble a bit. At this stage add the warm milk and stir continuously so that no lumps are formed.

  • Stir until the sides bubble and remove from flame immediately. Add the nutmeg powder,white pepper powder and salt to taste and mix well. At this stage you can add cheese in the white sauce as well. This makes it very rich and creamy.
  • In a non stick pan heat 1tbsp oil and add the green chilli paste to this. Then add the vegetable and stir fry until half done. this takes around 10 minutes. Add the shredded chicken to this and mix well.
  • Add this to the white sauce and stir in gently. If you find it too thick, you can add 2 tbsps of milk to loosen it a bit.

  • Pour this into a shallow baking dish and top with any grated cheese of your choice.
  • Pop this into a pre heated oven at 180 degrees C and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is a lovely golden brown.
Serve hot with garlic bread and soup.

Note
  1. Add/leave out the chilli paste according to your level of spice. You can also boil the chicken in 1tsp ginger garlic paste for more of an Indian taste.
  2. Instead of chicken and vegetables, you can use anything you like. Some good combinations are,
  • corn, cottage cheese and spinach
  • macroni, chicken and corn
  • cauliflower, carrots and beans

Shabnam


Marinex 3.7-Quart Prediletta Rectangular Baking Dish     Pyrex Grip-Rite 3-Quart Oblong Baking Dish Clear



6 comments:

  1. Wow...Shabu...I hve made Au gratin before but never with green chilli paste...will try this version too....

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  2. Gives it a nice spicy twist when you stir fry the veggies in green chilli paste.Best part....no one will know its in there unless you tell them : ) 'mommy tricks' always work.
    try it and let me know

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  3. i love love au gratin !! order it always at restaurants. have to make a baked version yet..this sounds great for me to start on :D

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  4. Do try it and let me know how it comes out : ) happy cooking

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  5. looks lovely!!! this sounds about like what i do every thursday for my in laws..cept for the green chilli paste..also here is what I add instead:
    butter instead of oil for the sauce (i guess it will be the same though), and crushed garlic and italian seasoning (no paprika) for a more italian taste...
    Broccoli is my favourite vegetable in au gratin...i love broccoli!! <3 this would be a great way to feed broccoli to a kid who doesnt like it! :D

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  6. I stick to oil though butter is the way the authentic white sauce is made. it turns out around the same though : )
    I do add oregano sometimes depending on my mood. tastes great with oregano too : )
    i love broccoli too : ) is the kid ur talking about VIVEK ? ; )

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