Broiled French cooking involves breadcrumbs and butter browned under a broiler for a crunchy topping. Many gratin casseroles include cheese, and other dishes can benefit from this seasoning, including seafood, vegetables, and leftovers. Vegan options are available, and broiling requires careful attention to avoid burning.
Broiled is a style of French cooking in which breadcrumbs and butter are placed over a saucepan of any type and browned under the broiler to give the top a nice crunch. The cheese in this dressing isn’t a requirement, even though it’s delicious. Cooks can make a cheeseless gratin dish simply with breadcrumbs and dots of butter.
Many of our most popular gratin casseroles include grated cheese. When this is placed under the broiler, the cheese melts into the casserole, combining with the breadcrumbs to create a wonderful brown topping. Potatoes au gratin, for example, are sliced potatoes with bechamel or Mornay sauce, which are cooked in the oven for about an hour before being finished using this method.
Many other recipes can benefit from this seasoning, and cooks may want to consider the following:
Any type of creamy seafood dish, blended with bechamel or Mornay sauce.
Oysters
Tuna, chicken or turkey casserole
Cauliflower
Ham or sausage and potatoes with bechamel or Mornay sauce
Leeks, avocados, artichoke hearts, green beans or asparagus
Cooks can even save leftovers by serving them in an au gratin style. For example, mashed potatoes, lightly heated and then topped with breadcrumbs, butter and grated cheese can be used for a quick form of potato gratin. Leftover meats or fish added to a cream sauce, heated in the microwave, and finished au gratin can be delicious.
There are even some gratin recipes for the strict vegan. Instead of the traditional béchamel sauce, these may employ a vegetarian, non-dairy mushroom soup and the breadcrumbs may be given a quick brushing with olive oil or margarine. You can also add grated tofu.
If a cook adds a little brown sugar to breadcrumbs and butter, he can whip up a quick fruity dessert. Using this method, stewed fruit can be topped with the batter and then cooked for a few minutes for a quick cobbler.
When preparing something using the gratin method, care should be taken when using the grill. Broilers can so easily turn a dish into something blackened. Cooks should follow recipe directions for time in the grill and also check every minute quickly to make sure the topping isn’t burning.
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