John Myers
The terms casserole and gratin each refer to a dish that is cooked and gratinated in the oven. While the “casserole” is to be understood as an umbrella term, the gratin is a special form of a casserole.
A casserole in general is a savory or sweet dish that is cooked in the oven with all the ingredients, usually in a special casserole dish. Various types of vegetables, pasta, and rice are popular. Meat or fish, as in our fennel casserole recipe, is also often used in casseroles. As the top layer, the dish can be baked with cheese or breadcrumbs, for example. So that the food does not become too dry or burn in the oven, the liquid is usually baked with it, for example, cream, béchamel, or tomato sauce for savory casseroles, quark in the sweet version. Since the casserole is a very variable dish, it is particularly suitable for using up leftovers. Sweet casseroles are mainly served as a dessert, for example in the form of a soufflé, as a pancake casserole, or as a semolina casserole.
The main feature of the gratin is that the ingredients used are layered in the casserole dish. Vegetables that can be cut into thin slices, such as potatoes or zucchini, are particularly suitable for a hearty gratin. Sweet gratin variants, on the other hand, can be prepared with layered slices of fruit, such as apples.
The most well-known variant is the potato gratin. Thin potato slices form the basis. Since they take a long time to cook in the oven, they are usually pre-cooked. They are then layered in a casserole dish and doused with a seasoned cream and milk mixture – not too much, so that the gratin is crispy: the ratio of 1:3 cream and milk mixture to potatoes is a rough guide. Typical spices for the cream are salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Finally, the potatoes are covered with a layer of cheese and cooked in the oven. For a visually convincing golden-brown crust, the gratin can be baked using the grill function of the oven.
