1.06.2013

Mushroom, Leek and Fontina Gratin


Gratins are one of my favorite things to make. Any vegetable with a bread crumb topping is a delicious side dish for meat or fish and they are fairly simple to make. Great for entertaining and you can assemble ahead of time, ready to pop in the oven when you need it.

This mushroom gratin is slightly more involved than some gratin recipes, but I love the rye bread in the topping and the fontina and leeks are delicious additions.


Mushroom, Leek, and Fontina Gratin
From Fine Cooking Magazine by Liz Pearson



Ingredients:
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more at room temperature for the dish 
1-1/2 lb. medium to large white mushrooms, quartered (8-1/2 cups) 
4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 lb. mixed “wild” mushrooms (such as oyster and shiitake), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces (7 cups) 
1-1/2 cups coarse fresh rye breadcrumbs 
4 oz. coarsely grated fontina (1 cup) 
3 medium to large leeks, trimmed, white and light-green parts only, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups), and rinsed well 
1/2 cup dry vermouth 
1 cup heavy cream 
4 sprigs fresh sage, plus 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage leaves 

Method:
Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Butter a 9x13-inch (or similar) baking dish.

In a large bowl, toss the white mushrooms with 2 Tbs. of the oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Spread the white mushrooms evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss the “wild” mushrooms with the remaining 2 Tbs. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in the bowl and spread on a second large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring the mushrooms and rotating the baking sheets once, until golden-brown and any liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter and pour into a medium bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and fontina and toss well.

In a 12-inch skillet, melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1 tsp. salt and cook, stirring often with a wooden spatula, until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the vermouth and boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, sage sprigs, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring just to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the sage sprigs.

Add the mushrooms and chopped sage to the leek mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared dish. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake in the top third of the oven until the breadcrumbs are golden-brown, about 30 minutes.

Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.


36 comments:

  1. I love this sort of thing as a side dish. It would be so delicious with roast chicken!

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  2. A wonderful combination! So tasty.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I love everything about this dish. Happy New Year Barbara. Hope you are all settled in.

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  4. I do a similar leek gratin but think the rye breadcrumbs would elevate it to a new level. Delicious!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  5. Yum! You're right, the rye bread crumbs (not to mention the cheese and cream) make this a standout with mushrooms! This would be a perfect main course for me! :-)

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  6. this look absolutely delicious Barbara is yummmy!

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  7. I feel like that right now..but someone to make it for me too:-)
    Just getting A Guinness Stew ready..but really would just prefer this:-)

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  8. Mmmmmmm, yes please Barbara. I do so love mushroom dishes.

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  9. All I need is a roast chicken and I would be satisfied for weeks to come.

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  10. Oh fantastic ingredients - love that you added sage too - delicious
    Mary x

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  11. Sounds delicious Barbara!!! Thanks so much for sharing. Happy New Year!!!

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  12. If only the Knight would eat it!! It sounds delish.

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  13. Hi Barbara,

    The gratin sounds delicious and a great combination with the leek and mushroom.
    Also will be great for a dinner party.

    Happy new week
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  14. I love everything about this. I've only made one gratin, cauliflower, and loved it so much. Don't know why I don't make more. Thanks for this recipe Barbara. It's a "must make".

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  15. rye breadcrumbs, eh? that sounds like a really tasty topper. once again, i'm wishing i didn't think mushrooms tasted like dirt. :)

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  16. Mushrooms and rye crumbs...sounds delicious.

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  17. I bet the combination of fontina and rye is terrific!

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  18. I love gratins too, and the flavors in this one look awesome!

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  19. Barbara, this gratin sounds and looks delicious...I can almost taste it.
    Happy 2013 and have a great week ahead!

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  20. Looking so good my friend...thanks for sharing. Hope your 2013 is going very well so far! xo

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  21. I've been coking with leeks all week -- this looks right up my alley!

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  22. Been craving for mushrooms ever since the year begun. Love to have this on my table. :D Got my eye on your next posts.

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  23. I love bringing gratins to holiday family functions or just when I'm going over to my mom's. Definitely going to make this for her next time I'm over! It looks fabulous.

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  24. Wow, this sounds so delicious, Barbara. I have a favorite mushroom lasagna recipe that takes a lot of preparation so this actually sounds easier. Snagging a copy of this recipe :)

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  25. This looks perfect for these cold winter nights we've been having (-4 last night).

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  26. What an amazing & very rich special festive recipe!

    I love Fontina cheese too: so good, so tasty is this yummy dish!!!

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  27. Oh dear. I'm going to have to make this VERY soon! The word "gratin" makes my mouth water.

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  28. This does sound delicious, Barbara. This and a small salad would be a lovely dinner without the meat or fish. The rye bread topping would add so much flavor.

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  29. Wild mushrooms, rye bread, cheese...I love the combination of flavours. It looks very delicious.

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  30. I love mushrooms and I agree with you regarding the gratins! This one is definitely a crowd pleaser!

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  31. I'm with you on gratins. It's true that really any vegetable is delicious in a gratin. And, I'm a big fan of mushrooms, so this one looks especially delightful!

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  32. This looks perfect for art class.

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  33. The flavours look incredibly delicious together :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  34. I love fontina and mushrooms.....what a great combo,Barbara! Happy New Year!

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  35. Happy New Year Barbara! I love gratins too because they smell so good and are so comforting :)

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  36. I'm with you, I make gratins all the time–– often to use up bits of things. They are always great even when they are single serving gratins. I love that they are a snap to make. Lovely leeks and mushrooms!

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