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Mirliton and Root Vegetable Gratin

Ingredients

  • 2 slices lemon
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp. black peppercorns
  • 1 rutabagas, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch-thick slices
  • 2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into 1/4-inch-thick coins
  • 2 lbs. parsnips, prepared the same way as the carrots (substitute: turnips)
  • 4 mirlitons, halved, seed removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 pint whipping cream
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1 tsp, white pepper
  • 1 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. 1

    Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil with the lemon, cloves, and peppercorns. Add the rutabagas (it helps to do this in a large sieve or a chinoise), boil for about two minutes, remove and drain. Repeat with the carrots, parsnips, and mirlitons. (The mirlitons will only require about one minute.)

  2. 2

    Crush the garlic cloves, and use them to wipe the inside of a two-inch-deep, 12-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Discard what's left of the garlic.

  3. 3

    Layer the vegetables in the baking dish, in the order listed. Sprinkle a mixture of the cheeses between the layers. Season with white pepper and (sparingly) nutmeg. The cheeses will provide all the salt this needs.

  4. 4

    Combine the whipping cream and the egg yolks thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the vegetables. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated 400-degree oven for one hour.

  5. 5

    Remove the foil, sprinkle bread crumbs in a thin layer over the top, and return to the oven. Continue baking until the crust browns.

  6. 6

    Remove from the oven and allow to rest and cool for at least ten minutes before serving. This is better warm than hot.