Hairy Bikers courgette gratin softens 800g of courgette rounds with thyme and basil, then bakes them under crème fraîche and Gruyère. And the Mediterranean Adventure recipe serves 4 as a side, at about 260 calories each and 45 minutes by my sums.
“It transforms the humble courgette into a rich treat of a side dish,” they write in the Corsica chapter of Mediterranean Adventure. Where most gratins swim in cream, this uses just 150ml of liquid, which bubbles up around the courgettes rather than covering them.
Whisking a teaspoon of flour into the crème fraîche and milk is their top tip, because in their words it stops them from curdling. Then the sauce stays smooth and creamy, even as the edges brown.
Hairy Bikers Courgette Gratin
Description
Thin courgette slices cook gently in olive oil with herbs until softened but still al dente, then go into a dish under a light sauce. After a scattering of grated Gruyère, the oven turns the top golden.
Ingredients
For the gratin
Instructions
- Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
- Soften the courgettes: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan with a lid, then add the courgettes and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently for up to 10 minutes, stirring every so often, until softened slightly but still al dente.
- Assemble: Tip everything, oil included, into an ovenproof dish. Whisk the crème fraîche, milk and flour together, season with salt and pour it over the courgettes. But it will not cover them completely, which is fine because it bubbles up as it cooks.
- Top and bake: Sprinkle the cheese on top. Then bake for about 25 minutes until brown and bubbling.
FAQs
Is this the courgette gratin from their Corsica trip?
Yes, it comes from their Corsica stop, sitting in the book alongside Corsican herb soup, storzapretti dumplings and a herb and chard tart. And there is a Hairy Bikers courgette gratin on BBC Food too, though I haven’t compared the two versions line by line.
If it is mussels you are after, the same chapter has their stuffed mussels from Bonifacio, which was their first supper on the island.
What cheese can you use instead of Gruyère?
The recipe says Gruyère “or similar”, so any firm cheese that melts and browns well will work. And for the stuffed mussels in the same chapter, they suggest a Corsican cheese or a mix of Gruyère and Pecorino.
They also suggest the gratin as a veggie main with a tomato salad, so check the cheese label. Because Gruyère and Pecorino are traditionally made with animal rennet, my own swap would be a vegetarian Alpine-style cheese.
How do you stop a courgette gratin going watery?
My own view is that the covered softening helps, because the courgettes collapse a little in the pan before they reach the dish. But keep them al dente at that stage, since the oven finishes the job.
Their method has no salting or draining step. So my own tips are even ½cm slices and a wide, shallow dish of about 1.5 litres, where the liquid can reduce.
How does it compare with their other gratins?
In my view it is the lighter cousin of their classic dauphinoise potatoes, because the cream only half covers the vegetables. And their potato gratin in British Classics skips cream altogether, baking 1.2kg of potatoes in 400ml of stock for about an hour.
For another Mediterranean vegetable bake, their Mallorcan tumbet with roast pork layers courgettes, aubergine and potato with tomato sauce. That is a bigger job with more layers, while this gratin is a quick side.
What do you serve with it, and does it keep?
They say it is great with meat, so their Mediterranean roast chicken from the same book or minty lamb steaks are natural partners. And for more courgettes in season, their courgette fritters from Mums Know Best use the glut a different way.
In my view it is at its best straight from the oven, before the courgettes soften further. So my own advice is to keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, reheat in a hot oven, and skip the freezer.
