au gratin

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ChrisGreaves
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au gratin

Post by ChrisGreaves »

I might have overplayed my "I've been ill" card, because Kerry has increased meal delivery. Twice this month I have had Cod au Gratin delivered by David. (He is a bit ticked off because MY supper is neatly laid out, with a bread roll, on a plate, while David has to serve his meal from the pot, Kerry being at work.)

Until last week I thought Cod au gratin had to be a French dish, served in places I couldn't afford to go, even in France. On top of that I thought that "au gratin" meant "grated cheese", (gratin=grated, right? :blush: )
I have since looked up a few recipes.

Au Gratin seems to be whatever food you plan to make, with a cheese sauce poured over it, the lot topped with breadcrumbs, and the casserole baked in an oven.
This recipe for cod au gratin is titled "A Newfoundland Favourite" and it comes from Rock Recipes, "rock" as in "The Rock". (Which, of course, sends me off trying to anagramize "au gratin" with "granite")

So now, of course, I shall embark on a few weeks of cooking everything au gratin, a great excuse to buy cheese and eat up everything in sight: potatoes, fish, red meat, artichokes, cabbage, ...

And since I experiment with bread recipes I have a near-endless supply of bread crumbs(grin)
Cheers, Chris
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HansV
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Re: au gratin

Post by HansV »

Not sure your cardiologist will be grate-ful. :sad:
Best wishes,
Hans

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: au gratin

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HansV wrote:
26 May 2024, 19:23
Not sure your cardiologist will be grate-ful. :sad:
"cardiologist "? :evilgrin:
Not sure what he/she/it has to complain about.
"potatoes, fish, red meat, artichokes, cabbage" and the red meat probably extra-lean moose; mostly vegetables there, if you ask me. And this year the artichokes AND the potatoes home-grown without pesticide.
(signed) "1,935 consecutive nights sleeping in Bonavista".
P.S. I know, I know: you're wondering how I will celebrate 2,000 consecutive nights asleep in Bonavista, right? I have invited David and Kerry to dine with me at PK's Fish and Chip shop. I'm sure that they don't have cod au gratin on the menu. C
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Re: au gratin

Post by GeoffW »

HansV wrote:
26 May 2024, 19:23
Not sure your cardiologist will be grate-ful. :sad:
Codiologist surely?

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John Gray
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Re: au gratin

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Sounds to me like a load of codswallop...! :laugh:
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: au gratin

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John Gray wrote:
27 May 2024, 10:37
Sounds to me like a load of codswallop...! :laugh:
codswallow, John, codswallow :munch:
Cheers, Chris
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Re: au gratin

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ChrisGreaves wrote:
26 May 2024, 19:14
Until last week I thought Cod au gratin had to be a French dish,
In the interest of squeezing value out of every penny, I continue to experiment. My most recent version used reconstituted skim milk powder instead of accident-prone cardboard cartons of whole milk.
My obervations to date are:-
(1) Cod au gratin is just another excuse for pigging-out on significant amounts of several tasty cheeses
(2) If you buy enough varieties of cheese, you don't have to use them fully, which leaves several slabs to be consumed au main "before they dry out"
(3) Cod au gratin can suffer from too much salt; in which case it can be spread out, lasting a week, as a form of cheese sauce with pasta.
(4) I can get certain dishes washed in a dishwasher by filling them with Cod au gratin and asking David and Kerry to tell me what they think.
Cheers, Chris :sneaky: :yep:
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Re: au gratin

Post by John Gray »

Returning to this thread (with a weary sigh, I must admit) and looking at the menu, I am left with some conclusions, observations and questions:
1) you should hope that the Soup of the Day is French Onion Soup (whether au gratin or au not)
2) the concept of a "½ Hot Sandwich" makes me wonder whether the half-hotness is measured in °C or °F (surely not °K). (Wouldn't describing them as "lukewarm" have been more informative?)
3) what in heaven's name is a "Western" (presumably sandwich)? An historic[al] sandwich, perhaps?
4) intriguing to note the complete absence of anything egg-based or egg-related (apart, of course, from the chicken (pressure-fried(?))

One may learn a lot about the culinary tastes and sophistication of a population from a perusal of local restaurant menus... :rofl:
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: au gratin

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John Gray wrote:
29 Jun 2024, 14:27
One may learn a lot about the culinary tastes and sophistication of a population from a perusal of local restaurant menus... :rofl:
You can learn even more, without needing to tip the wait staff, by pacing out the aisles in the supermarket and noting the ratio of
(1) Shelf-feet to
(2) Shelf feet devoted to Colas and Crisps (N.Amer "Crisps"?)

My limited experience tells me that supermarkets will not stock stuff that folks won't buy. As an example, when did you last spot fresh Dandelion Leaves in a supermarket? :yum:
Cheers, Chris
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Re: au gratin

Post by ChrisGreaves »

A credible version of the recipe appears in Chapter 8 of "Something Fresh" by P.G.Wodehouse, but is under the name of "Curried Lobster".
Cheers, Chris
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Re: au gratin

Post by ChrisGreaves »

I have had a nagging feeling that what in Bonavista is called Cod Au Gratin is called Fish Pie in English novels set in the slums of London.
Cheers, Chris
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Re: au gratin

Post by John Gray »

ChrisGreaves wrote:
18 Aug 2024, 22:01
I have had a nagging feeling that what in Bonavista is called Cod Au Gratin is called Fish Pie in English novels set in the slums of London.
It is also called Fish Pie in modern supermarkets, and I believe it is still purchased by the lower classes.

An alternative?

"Our Limited Edition Posh Fish Pie has landed!
A jumble of cod, salmon, smoked haddock and prawns in a luxurious creamy sauce, with sweetcorn, peas and leeks. We've spiked this creamy mixture with some Dijon mustard and mature Cheddar Cheese - Feed your Brain! Comforting and flavoursome, we suggest you catch it while you can!"
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: au gratin

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John Gray wrote:
19 Aug 2024, 07:02
... I believe it is still purchased by the lower classes.
Thank you, John, for your customary curate's-egg marketing analysis!
In case I had not mentioned it in my original posting, I scavenge the cod carcasses after David, Gene, and Brian (and one time, Gene's dad) have extracted the cod-tongues, cod-cheeks, fillets, and de-skinned the latter. This year I scavenged about thirty fist-sized collections of material, each stored frozen in its own plastic bag; only has to be defrosted and then slithers out of the bag like a dead eel.
"A jumble of cod, salmon, smoked haddock and prawns "
(I couldn't find the "Got it!" button, so handy when things slip off the now-slick kitchen counter).
So These pies are filled with sweepings from the factory floor.
But I don't have a factory, unless soaking the carcasses in the bathtub (in the bathroom nowadays, and free of coal) counts as a warehouse.
"... we suggest you catch it while you can!"
This is plagiarized from my high school Geography Teacher - Mr. deKurloi - who - in 1963 - summarized Salmon on Canada's west coast as "They eat what they can and they can what they can't". I visited an old canning factory in Prince Rupert circa 1995
Cheers and Thanks again
Chris
P.S. Does "Limited Edition" refer to time-dated material? C
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Re: au gratin

Post by John Gray »

I think the actual quotation was "Ketchup while you can"...!
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Re: au gratin

Post by ChrisGreaves »

John Gray wrote:
19 Aug 2024, 12:15
I think the actual quotation was "Ketchup while you can"...!
It's all the same sauce, right?
Cheers, Chris
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