Eggplant Gratin (Gratin D’Aubergines, Provencal)

The upcoming release of the movie Julie & Julia (August 7, 2009) has ignited discussions about cooking and blogging and caused me to reflect on my own cooking journey. Cooking always seemed like a big mystery to me when I was growing up. My grandmothers were both talented Southern cooks and seemed to hardly measure anything. Though I truly adored their food, to my mother’s dismay I was never interested in things involving the kitchen, especially the cleaning part, so I really didn’t put forth any effort to learn. I didn’t grow up watching Julia Child and my culinary point of view was fairly limited to Southern and Midwest American foods, so it wasn’t until I tasted good Chinese food at a restaurant in the Chicago suburbs during my high school years that I realized I was missing a whole culinary world. An overseas move in 1989 and exposure to Asian and island cuisine ignited my passion for authentic regional foods.

Everywhere I have lived and traveled (twenty-five countries on five continents so far), I have tasted local foods and endeavored to learn how to make my favorites. I eagerly seek out authentic ingredients and can easily spend an afternoon at an international grocery store and farmers market, and my pantry is stocked full of many types of condiments and spices.

My cookbook collection grew slowly at first, but when I moved back to the United States in 1997 it began to grow in earnest. My first Julia Child cookbook was The Way to Cook, a book I purchased with encouragement from a friend who wanted me to make Julia’s chocolate mousse for her. Last year I acquired a hardcover boxed set of the two volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking when eCookbooks.com had an unbelievable good deal, and a few others have followed since. Every time I cook, no matter if I’m cooking from a cookbook or from a family recipe or making one up on the spot, I try to focus on improving my technique and learning something new each time, while trying to remain mindful of the enjoyment of preparing and tasting good food and sharing it with others.

So today in honor of this week’s release of Julie & Julia, I am posting a recipe, actually two, adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This eggplant gratin uses a fresh tomato puree from Volume 1 and puts it all together in Volume 2. Julia also included another tomato puree recipe from canned tomatoes, but I wanted to use the fresh tomatoes from our garden. I would typically use San Marzano or Roma tomatoes for something like this, but we didn’t have enough so supplemented with some Early Girl and Mr. Stripey tomatoes. Some of them were pretty sweet, so I omitted the sugar.

Due to the amount of active preparation required, I would save this for a weekend dish or make it ahead then reheat on a busy weeknight. You can make the sauce ahead and save it for up to three days in the refrigerator or freeze it, or you can make the entire dish ahead and partially cook then reheat before serving. Of course for easier prep you can lay the eggplant flat and build horizontal layers instead of vertical, though I agree with Julia’s thought that the vertical layers are attractive.

The combination of eggplant, tomato puree, and cheese gives full, fresh flavor in a home-style dish, making this gratin comfort food at its best.

In honor of Julia’s birthday this month, Champaign Taste is hosting a Julia Child Event, and I’m excited to participate. You can find the full list of all the Julia Child posts at Champaign Taste on August 15.

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More Julia Child Recipes

More Eggplant Recipes From Other Blogs

• Simply Recipes – Eggplant Parmesan
• Kalyn’s Kitchen – Spicy Grilled Eggplant
• White on Rice Couple – Roasted Eggplant with Mint
• Apple Pie, Patis, & Pate – Grilled Eggplants, Japanese Style (Yakinasu)