VEGETABLE GRATIN

I DON'T KNOW WHY but it's true that one cookbook often leads you to another and another and . . . 

This is what invariable happens to me when I start reading cookbooks as literature or as bedside reading. I mentioned Simon Hopkinson the other day and he wrote about Richard Olney and I became so interested that I had to rush out and order not one but three of his books on Amazon (all three with postage cost under $14.00!). Anyway, what I have been reading are his Provence: The Beautiful Cookbook and Simple French Food. Well, let me tell you, both of these books are gems stuffed with information on all things related to French cooking! Provence: The Beautiful Cookbook is a cocktail table book with magnificent pictures with recipes to match. Simple French Food is the quasi-contemporary counterpart to anything M.F.K. Fisher ever wrote and I would have to say that it is a tad more authoritative as it doesn't necessarily cater to an American sensibility. These are both books that concentrate on real French food. A case in point: pates vs. terrines. We, here in America, have completely misunderstood their definitions. A paté is something encased in pastry, while a terrine is forcemeat swathed in fat.

That said, I was intrigued by his treatment of vegetables as gratin, and in custard as well, which to my sensibilities is high church. One doesn't often encounter the use of eggplant or zucchini in a custard so I had to try something along those lines with what I had in the house today and I came up with a frothy mixture of fennel, Belgian endive, leftover carrots and turnips which I braised in chicken stock and garlic and then gratineéd with milk, cream, eggs, bread crumbs and some Parmesan cheese. It was incredibly good and, of course, incredibly rich but what the hell. You only live once.

Let's just say that I decided to make a custardy melange of vegetables which is exactly what happened. 

3 Belgian endives divided into two halves

1 fennel bulb (quartered)

1 slice bacon (diced)

3 cloves garlic (unpeeled)

3 tbs. olive oil

2 pats butter

salt and pepper

8 tbs. chicken stock

2 carrots sliced lengthwise and cut in half to make 8 pieces

1 turnip quartered

4 tsp. chopped tomato concasse

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil, butter and the bacon until the bacon renders some of its fat and add the fennel and endives along with the garlic. Saute and turn the vegetables once. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, turn down to the barest simmer and cover for 2 hours. Watch the pot periodically and turn the fennel if necessary but try not to disturb the endive. After about an hour, move the lid so the pot is slightly ajar and cook to reduce the liquid so there only remains about 2 tbs. The vegetables should be bronzed and softened. Turn off heat and let rest for about an hour.

Oil the bottom and sides of a gratin dish and arrange the endive, fennel and garlic in a circular fashion. Fill in any gaps with carrots and turnips. Top with the chopped tomatoes.

Mix the eggs with the milk and the cream and add half of the bread crumbs and all of the cheese. Pour over the vegetables to cover and sprinkle on the rest of the bread crumbs. Put into a preheated 375º oven and bake for an hour or until a crust forms at the edges and you can see oil bubbling on the sides. 

Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.