Making Gratins

The word gratin comes from the old French grater, to grate, referring to dishes treated with ‘raspings of bread’ and cooked ‘between two fires so as to produce a light crust’. But the dictionary definition has broadened over the centuries: the browned crust can now be achieved by baking the dish in the oven at suitable temperatures or by thrusting it under a hot grill at the last moment – and may be made of cheese, breadcrumbs, a sauce, greased potatoes or any combination of these. That is what to expect of something au gratin or gratinée in a cookery book or on a traditional restaurant menu.