French · Authentic-ish French
Gratin de Courgettes
172 kcal a serving, against 343 for the traditional version. That is 171 kcal off, or 50%, with 16g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Thick slices of courgette, salted and drained to remove excess water. They're layered in a buttered baking dish and completely submerged in a classic bechamel sauce made from equal parts butter and plain flour, whisked with whole milk. A massive pile of grated Gruyere is folded into the sauce and scattered over the top before it's baked until blistered and golden.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of butter down to absolutely zero
I drop the butter entirely. To thicken the sauce, I rely on a smaller amount of plain flour whisked directly into cold semi-skimmed milk before heating. It still thickens up perfectly well on the stove.
What it costs you. You lose the nutty, toasted flavour of a butter roux. The sauce is distinctly plainer before the cheese goes in.
Replacing 300g of whole milk with quark
Whole milk makes a rich sauce, but it brings a lot of fat. I use 50% of the normal volume as semi-skimmed milk, and whisk in a massive dollop of quark right at the end. Quark is incredibly lean with a thick, creamy texture.
What it costs you. Quark has a sharp, slightly sour tang. It pulls the gratin away from deep, sweet dairy and makes it taste much fresher. I happen to like the sharpness, but it's definitely different.
200g of Gruyere down to 80g
The original demands cheese inside the sauce and on top. I keep just enough Gruyere for a strong savoury punch, but I only put it on the top so you actually taste it when it hits your tongue.
What it costs you. The sauce itself won't stretch in long, stringy pulls when you scoop it out of the baking dish.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 343 | 172 |
| Protein | 16.8g | 16g |
| Fat | 22.7g | 5.8g |
| Saturated fat | 13.4g | 3.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 20g | 15.7g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.9g | 9.3g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk, gluten.
The method is in the book
What you've got is a sharp, savoury vegetable bake. A rich, heavy cheese fondue is a different dish and you know where to find it. The quark gives the sauce a brilliant tang that cuts right through the earthy flavour of the courgettes. Because I got rid of the butter and slashed the cheese, you can easily eat a massive portion of this without feeling ruined. The top still gets that aggressive, blistered crust that every good gratin demands. It's exactly what you want on a cold evening.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback