Making a Perfect Vegan Gratin

Three ways to make a vegan gratin that embrace the soul of this comfort food preparation: Pommes Dauphinois, Brussels Sprout Gratin and Macaroni and ‘Cheese’ Gratin

Who can resist that golden crust that forms on the surface of a gratin or the creamy interior bubbling just beneath the surface? This is warming comfort food. It is food that embraces the soul.

The protective layer that forms on the surface improves the taste of the food and prevents it from drying up. Traditional gratins are mostly prepared with a béchamel sauce, strongly flavored grated hard cheese or simply breadcrumbs crumbled together with melted butter. In the vegan world, the protective layer is created in a similar fashion but with some obvious differences that drop the use of animal products.

My Pommes Dauphinois recipe is my take on the classic French preparation. It is a simple conversion replacing the milk/cream mixture with a combination of soy and oat milk, then substituting the butter with extra virgin olive oil. The end result is similar and equally delicious. The Brussels Sprout Gratin uses a classic vegan béchamel sauce that gratinates beautifully and keeps the sprouts moist. The Macaroni and ‘Cheese’ recipe uses pureed cauliflower, oat cream, nutritional yeast and other flavorings to create a surprisingly cheesy end result.

I hope these recipes start your year in the kitchen with delicious dishes you will enjoy throughout the year and beyond.

Please feel free to leave a comment below or share your creations with me or on your social media sites. I am always happy to hear from you or answer your questions.

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Pommes Dauphinois

Vegan Pommes Dauphinois

Gratins made in the traditional style from Dauphine in France, get their name from the golden crust that forms on the surface of a dish when it is cooked in a hot oven.  The crust is usually formed from grated cheese, breadcrumbs or egg.  A very traditional Dauphinois is made simply with potatoes and cream, so the challenge of making it wholly plant-based relies completely on selecting the correct replacement for the cream.

I tried dozens of variations that led to a disappointing dish that tasted too sweet…despite using unsweetened non-dairy milk. I finally decided to use a combination of oat cream and soy milk which gave the dish the correct thickness and did not taste overly sweet. Make sure you read the label on the oat cream and use one with few ingredients. The one I used only had a thickener, oats, water and organic sunflower oil.

Gratins can be made in any dish. I like to use a heavy cast iron pan because the gratin doesn’t stick to the surface, and it looks rather rustic and cool. It is important that the potatoes have an even thickness to promote even cooking. I suggest using a type of slicer (like a mandoline) to cut the potatoes unless you have excellent knife skills.

Now, about those potatoes… The ones used in France are of the waxy variety (the ones that hold their shape when cooking and not ones typically used for baking or making purees). These are the ones you are after and may have names like Red Bliss, La Ratte or Yukon Gold. You can dive deeper into the world of potatoes on our main website.

Difficulty: simple

Yield: Makes 1 medium-sized gratin – enough for 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• About 750 grams (1 1/2 pounds) waxy-style potatoes

• Extra virgin olive oil to coat the gratin form

• 200 ml. (3/4-cup) oat cream

• 80 ml. (1/3 -cup) soy milk

• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Dried thyme, to taste

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F)

2. Slice the potatoes thin…not paper thin, but roughly 1/2-cm (1/8-inch) thick. The thinner you make the potatoes, the creamier the final dish will be. I personally like the flavor of the potatoes, so I don’t leave them paper thin. Keep the sliced potatoes in a large bowl.

3. Combine the oat cream and soy milk in a pot and season with salt and pepper. Gently heat the milk and add dried thyme (I use about 2 teaspoons). Bring the milk to a simmer and remove from the heat. Taste the seasoning in the milk mixture and make any necessary adjustments (the milk will season your potatoes, so be a bit aggressive with the seasoning). Pour the warm milk over the potatoes and gently mix.

4. Generously oil the gratin dish and rub it well with the peeled garlic clove. I like slicing the clove in half to expose it to the air and encourage more of the flavor to hit the dish.

5. Add the potatoes to your gratin pan – work in batches rather than just chucking everything into the pan in one big pile. Add a bit of the liquid about halfway through, then continue adding the potatoes until the dish is filled. Top with the milk. The idea is to completely cover the potatoes with the liquid before putting everything into the oven.

6. Place the gratin into the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes. The top should be golden. If your potatoes begin to take on too much color, then drape a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the gratin during the final baking time.  Remove the gratin from the oven and allow it to settle for 10 minutes. Enjoy hot or cold.

Tips

I like to flavor my cream with a fresh bay leaf, but this is not necessary.

I also add a thinly sliced onion to the potatoes on occasion. Try this variation – I think you will be amazed how prevalent the onion flavor develops in the potatoes.

You can also add cooked and sliced seasonal vegetables to the potato layers. Try sliced artichoke hearts, sliced celery root (celeriac), sliced parsnips or sliced Jerusalem artichokes…not traditional, but tasty variations.

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Brussels Sprout Gratin

Creamy Vegan Brussels Sprout Gratin

There was a time when I thought Brussels sprouts were only served as a side vegetable dish – perhaps boiled then sautéed in lots of butter and covered with crispy bacon. Or maybe boiled too much and served as a slimy mess next to mashed potatoes. I guess I wasn’t a fan.

Then Chez Panisse happened!

I recall going to Alice Waters’ famous Berkeley restaurant in the early 1990’s. It was the first time I tasted a Brussels sprout gratin. It was a revelation. The sprouts still had a bite, while draped in a creamy sauce. The aroma had no sulfuric notes. None.  The flavors were perfectly aligned, with a slight tilt toward sweet. This dish epitomized the hip California cuisine going on at that time.

My vegan version comes close.

Roasting the sprouts first keeps the texture perfect as they sit under a creamy béchamel sauce. The dish is not difficult to make. In fact, you can make it in stages by roasting the sprouts first (they will keep refrigerated for 2-3 days). The béchamel sauce can be made a few days in advance. The two components are then combined in a greased gratin dish and broiled (grilled) for about 15-20 minutes.

Difficulty: simple

Yield: makes about 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 500 grams (one pound) Brussels sprouts

• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• sea salt

• 1 bay leaf (ideally fresh)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 500 ml. (2 cups) non-dairy milk (ideally soy milk)

• freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Start by preparing your Brussels sprouts. Trim the outer leaves and the very bottom of the stem. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise and place in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Allow the sprouts to soak for 30-60 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 210°C (400°F) with a fan…increase the temperature slightly if you don’t have a circulating fan in your oven. Remove the sprouts from the water and pat dry with a towel. Place the sprouts in a dry bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt. Toss well and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. The sprouts should remain slightly firm with a slight golden color on their edge.

3. Make the béchamel sauce while the sprouts are soaking or cooking in the oven. Begin by heating a wide pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and allow the onions to sweat in their juices. Add 1 tablespoon of water if the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook the onions about 8 minutes – you don’t want them caramelized. Add the bay leaf to the onions, along with the olive oil. Cook one minute and add the flour all at once. Mix well and begin adding the soy milk in small stages. Make sure the milk is incorporated into the flour mixture before adding more. This happens quickly, so don’t wander off somewhere to check your email. After about half the soy milk is added, you can add the rest in one pour. Mix well and continue to cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens after 2-4 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Strain the sauce into a clean container.

4. Prepare the oven for broiling/grilling. Preheat to 225°C (410°F) using only the top heat. Place the oven rack toward the top third of the oven.

5. Lightly grease a gratin dish with extra virgin olive oil. Add a layer béchamel to the bottom of the dish, then add all of the roasted sprouts. Top completely with the remaining béchamel. Broil/grill toward the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes. The gratin should take on a golden color; add more cooking time as necessary to achieve this. Enjoy piping hot!

Tips

Try to work with the same size of sprouts to promote even cooking.

All-purpose flour works best for making béchamel. You can use a gluten-free version of flour, but it won’t turn out as creamy in the end and may even split a bit during the time in the oven.

I prefer soy milk for this sauce because of the fat content. Make sure to select an unsweetened variety – preferably one that only has soy and water. Oat milk and Rice milk are good substitutes, but I find the taste too sweet.

If your sauce becomes too thick, simply add a small amount of soy milk or water to loosen it and create the consistency you want.

Make ahead note – be sure to cool the sprouts and the béchamel completely at room temperature before refrigerating.

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Macaroni and ‘Cheese’ Gratin

Vegan Macaroni and ‘Cheese’

Macaroni and Cheese Gratin is one of those dishes that most people keep in their vault of pleasing childhood food memories. It is, quite frankly, an epic dish found throughout the English-speaking world…and as it turns out, also in the German-speaking world as per my Swiss wife.

I remember this dish as something I had to have as a teenager looking for a quick and tasty meal. That usually meant preparing a heavily processed version with everything I would need neatly packed in a box (yuck).

This recipe is my plant-based ‘adult’ reaction to having one of those food memories recently while working on something else with a cauliflower sauce base. I knew right at that moment, I had to try and create a classic macaroni and cheese variation.

Difficulty: simple

Yield: makes about 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 250 ml. (one cup) cauliflower sauce

• 500 grams (one pound) pasta, like small penne

• Chopped chives to garnish

• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place 200 ml. of cauliflower sauce in a large non-stick pan. Gently heat the sauce over low heat.

2. Preheat the oven to 220° C, using only the top heat and adjust the oven so you can place the gratin dish close to the heat source (about 15-cm distance).

3. Heat a large pot of water over high heat. Add about 1 heaping teaspoon of salt per liter of water (it should taste like the sea) once the water reaches a boil. Add the pasta and cook per the directions but make sure you undercook the pasta slightly – usually 2 minutes off the directions on the package.

4. Add the cooked pasta directly to the sauce and toss well (you can enjoy right away with chives and black pepper or move to the next step to make a gratin).

5. Add a spoon of cauliflower sauce to your gratin dish, then add the coated pasta from the step above to the dish. Use only enough pasta to fill the dish. Add another spoon of sauce to the top of the pasta. Place in the preheated oven and cook until golden on top – about 15 minutes. Cool slightly and enjoy (probably with a smile on your face).

Tips

I like to make sure I have extra cauliflower sauce on hand. I use small and shallow gratin dishes and I make sure the pasta is well-coated with the sauce. The gratin will dry out as it cooks, so don’t be shy with the sauce…plus, you made a liter, right?

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Cauliflower Sauce

Vegan Cauliflower ‘Cheese’ Sauce

I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe during my professional plant-based training at Rouxbe. In fact, I remember rolling my eyes. I experienced so many disappointments with plant-based techniques trying to emulate something from the animal world. And this sauce promised to be the next great cheese sauce <sigh>. But I quickly changed my opinion after trying it, although I felt the original recipe made a better soup than a sauce.

So, after a slight make-over, I came up with my own version that is both gluten-free and oil-free. The acidity from the lemon juice I added made all the difference in creating something tasting similar to cheese; it brightened the nutritional yeast flavor and lightened everything!

Difficulty: simple

Yield: makes about one liter (one quart)

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 medium-size cauliflower

• Juice of one lemon

• 200 ml. (3/4-cup) oat cream

• 300 ml. (1 1/4 cups) water

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• Salt to season

Instructions

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pot or pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon salt when the pot is hot. Stir well. Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring often, for 6-8 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water periodically to prevent the onions from sticking to the pot. The onions should be soft without caramelizing.

2. While the onions cook, add the lemon juice, oat cream, water, turmeric and nutritional yeast to a blender and process until smooth.

3. Slice the cauliflower into thin pieces (the idea is to get them to cook quickly, so no need to make elegant slices) and add them to the cooked onions. Mix well.

4. Add the blended ingredients to the cauliflower-onion mixture. Stir well, then bring to a gentle boil. Cover the pot and reduce the temperature to keep a gentle simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower has completely cooked.

5. Carefully transfer the mixture to your blender/high-speed blender and process until smooth (this may need to be completed in batches).

6. Adjust the seasoning as necessary. Try to achieve a nice balance between salt and acid but go easy on the adjustments and make small changes as necessary to prevent over-seasoning.

Tips

Be sure to periodically stir the cauliflower-onion mix as it cooks. Sometimes the nutritional yeast will stick to the bottom of your pan and burn – not good!

You can use a food processor, blender or high-speed blender to mix together the liquid ingredients. I prefer using a high-speed blender to make a velvety smooth mixture.

If using a high-speed blender to make the sauce, be sure to begin on the lowest speed and gradually increase the temperature to high. Keep a hand on the top of the blender (with a towel) to prevent the lid from blowing off (really, this will happen with hot liquids in a blender that is filled too much – so be careful).

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