Zucchini Gratin

I forgot that the Smithsonian rebuilt Julia Child's kitchen in the American History museum. I remember reading about it awhile ago, but it's was a wonderful moment of happenstance that we stumbled upon it.


Clearly, I'm tickled to be there. And it was all there. The famous pegboards with the meticulous outlines of each pot and pan. The table with the funky chairs. The old school six burner stove.




Don't you love how she uses her cabinets to hang pictures? But Julia truly stole my heart when I discovered that she was a Skippy lady. Yes! Go Skippy! Jif is so overrated.


What is it about Julia? Clearly, we're all charmed by her. We all love to be fed, and yes, she made French food accessible to the American housewife. But there's something more to it that has made her so timeless.

I think we love her humanness. She looks normal - not done up like most celeb chefs today. She doesn't claim to be an expert - you feel like you are learning right along with her. And she's funny. I mean, just check out this clip. "The Chicken Sisters!" Hilarious.


The French Chef Julia Child's Chicken

In honor of Julia, may I present a gratin with seasonal zucchini and potatoes. In true French style, the vegetables just serve as vehicles for buttery breadcrumbs and cheese. I'm sure Julia would approve.


Zucchini Gratin
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks. Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. Slice them too thick and you'll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly.

zest of one lemon
1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/2 pound potatoes, sliced transparently thin
3/4 cup feta cheese (I know, not French - go ahead and splurge on Gruyere if you'd like)

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9x9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the 1/2 tsp. salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce.

Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.

For the breadcrumbs, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.

Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.

Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes - it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes - and how much moisture was still in them. You don't want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.