Chayote gratin
Local name: Gratin de christophine
French Caribbean chayote cooked then bound in a thyme béchamel, browned under gruyère and breadcrumbs.
Photo: Cirage · Public domain
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Halve the chayotes and boil them in salted water for 25 minutes, until a knife goes through.
- Drain them, remove the flat seed, then scoop out the flesh and set the skins aside.
- Mash the flesh with a fork and wring it in a tea towel to drive out the water.
- Melt the butter, cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, then stir in the flour. Cook 2 minutes, stirring.
- Whisk in the hot milk in three additions. Add the thyme and nutmeg, then cook 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Fold the chayote flesh into the sauce with half the gruyère. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread in a dish, cover with the rest of the gruyère and the breadcrumbs, and bake at 200 °C for 20 minutes.
Chayote holds a lot of water, which washes out a gratin. Wring the cooked flesh in a tea towel before binding it, or dry it in a pan for 5 minutes. The flat seed at the centre is edible once boiled, so it goes to the cook.
