Welcome to Ina's Garden! Our July dish, Zucchini Gratin, was chosen by Peggy of Pantry Revisited. The recipe can be found here or on Food Network.
I loved this dish, although the changes I made resulted in a very rich side more appropriate for the Thanksgiving or Christmas table; let me tell you what I did. So, the first tweak was the addition of garlic, 3 cloves. It's hard for me to imagine a savory zucchini recipe without the presence of garlic, and when is garlic not delicious? Second tweak was the omission of flour, as I've gone gluten-free due to some health issues, which meant I was left with the dilemma of making a white sauce sans flour. I'm in the infancy stages of gluten-free cooking, and I have no gluten-free baking mix; additionally, I'm short on time with preparing for the big move, so there was no time for research. I decided to wing it and hope for the best. I added half & half and allowed it to reduce until thickened; this worked like a charm. A quick grating of fresh nutmeg, and I poured the zucchini into my baking dish. I didn't add the breadcrumbs, using only Gruyere cheese, and popped it into the oven. Good heavens, my resulting dish was outstandingly rich, but oh so delicious! I can see why Ina adds breadcrumbs, as the cheese and extra butterfat from the half & half created a little bit of buttery pooling on top of the casserole.
I am a big fan of crunch, though, so I need to find a topping that's gluten-free for that added texture. Even if you're not a zucchini fan, I really believe you would like this. Also, don't forego the nutmeg; it really adds a delicious warmth to the casserole and truly complements the flavors. I will definitely make this again. Thanks, Peggy, for a delicious choice and a great way to use zucchini!
I hope all of you will join us for our linky party - it's super easy, and you will love the recipe. I would love to see your creations, and if any of you have suggestions regarding gluten-free toppings, please let me know. Definitely make an effort to visit the other members of Ina’s Garden, April at The 21st Century Housewife, Chaya at Bizzy B. Bakes, Yummy Chunklet at Yummychunklet, Mia at Bright Morning Star, and Peggy at Pantry Revisted, along with your fellow linky-participants.
If you can't cook along with us this go round, please link-up on July 21, when Mia of Bright Morning Star hosts "Sweet Baked Love" a collection of Ina's dessert recipes - yum!
I loved this dish, although the changes I made resulted in a very rich side more appropriate for the Thanksgiving or Christmas table; let me tell you what I did. So, the first tweak was the addition of garlic, 3 cloves. It's hard for me to imagine a savory zucchini recipe without the presence of garlic, and when is garlic not delicious? Second tweak was the omission of flour, as I've gone gluten-free due to some health issues, which meant I was left with the dilemma of making a white sauce sans flour. I'm in the infancy stages of gluten-free cooking, and I have no gluten-free baking mix; additionally, I'm short on time with preparing for the big move, so there was no time for research. I decided to wing it and hope for the best. I added half & half and allowed it to reduce until thickened; this worked like a charm. A quick grating of fresh nutmeg, and I poured the zucchini into my baking dish. I didn't add the breadcrumbs, using only Gruyere cheese, and popped it into the oven. Good heavens, my resulting dish was outstandingly rich, but oh so delicious! I can see why Ina adds breadcrumbs, as the cheese and extra butterfat from the half & half created a little bit of buttery pooling on top of the casserole.
If you can't cook along with us this go round, please link-up on July 21, when Mia of Bright Morning Star hosts "Sweet Baked Love" a collection of Ina's dessert recipes - yum!
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Lovely, Louanne. Zucchini goes where we take it and Ina took this one to a good place.
ReplyDeleteJoin the world of the gluten-free. King Arthur's Flour and Bob's Red Mill are two sources of flour and mixes. If you need any info, let me know.
Louanne, what a great idea to substitute cream for the flour! I'll have to keep that in mind next time I make this (in full size, too!)
ReplyDeleteYour version of Ina's zucchini gratin looks wonderful, Louanne! I like the addition of the garlic, and I think it would be good with the half and half too, particularly for a special occasion.
ReplyDeleteI have made this dish many times and agree it is quite special and very rich. For this reason I agree this is a dish best reserved for special occasions like Thanksgiving and other holidays. As for crunch try using finely chopped toasted nuts as a topping.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that looks so delicious. Are porridge oats gluten free? I usually put them on top of my bakes, mixed with sunflower and other seeds as it makes a delicious crunchy topping.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite crunchy on top wasn't it? That was what I liked best about it - the crunch! Glad you could substitute and make it. Your dish looks just delicious.
ReplyDeleteI'm indeed a zucchini fan! I'll have to make this recipe, I know I'll love it!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know about my cookbook giveaway that is
going on right now until July 16th. Stop on by to enter! Hope you are having a
great week :)
http://steaknpotatoeskindagurl.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-first-giveaway.html
That looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteHi Louanne - this zucchini dish looks great. I love the addition of the garlic - somehow zucchini just seems to cry out for it, doesn't it? I'm sure you will have a huge learning curve ahead with going gluten-free.
ReplyDeleteSue xo
I love a good gratin, especially if it'll get rid of some of the MASS amounts of zucchini in my fridge! this looks so good. Also, have you thought of adding a bit of cornmeal as a gluten-free thickener?
ReplyDeleteHey!! Just wanted to let you know that I featured you in a post all about Zucchinis!! :)
ReplyDelete