Guilt Free Fruit Gratin Recipes

10-MINUTE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat broiler; set rack as close to heat source as possible (even 2 inches is not too close).
• Wash, pit, stem and peel the fruit as necessary. Cut stone fruit in halves or slices, as you prefer. Cut strawberries in thick slices; leave smaller berries whole. Place the fruit (at least 2 cups full) in a baking or gratin dish just large enough to hold it.
• Whip cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar until it is thick and just barely holding soft peaks; stir in the vanilla extract. Pour cream over and around the fruit. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
• Broil carefully, allowing cream to brown all over and even burn in a couple of spots; rotate baking dish during broiling if necessary. Remove and serve.

FRUIT-AND-ALMOND GRATINS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter gratin dishes.
• Whisk together eggs, cream, confectioners sugar, almond flour, vanilla, and salt in a bowl until combined well. Quarter pears lengthwise, then peel, core, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Toss pears with lemon juice in a bowl, then divide among gratin dishes. Divide raspberries and grapes among gratin dishes, then pour custard mixture over fruit. Sprinkle with almonds and dot with butter. Transfer gratin dishes to a shallow baking pan.
• Bake until pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Preheat broiler and broil gratins 4 to 5 inches from heat until almonds are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool on a rack to warm or room temperature before serving.

FRESH RASPBERRY GRATINS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler for at least 15 minutes, with the rack about 5 inches away from the heat.
• To make the sabayon, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water until thick and creamy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk almost constantly, scraping the egg mixture from the bottom of the bowl. Slowly whisk in the Marsala wine and continue whisking over the simmering water for about 5 more minutes, until the mixture is thick and smooth, like a soft whipped cream. It should register about 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Whisk in the vanilla, remove from the heat, and set aside.
• Place one snug layer of raspberries in 6 (6 to 7-inch) shallow gratin dishes. (Each of my dishes holds about one half-pint of raspberries.) Spoon enough sabayon over the raspberries to cover them. Sprinkle each one lightly with granulated sugar. Arrange the dishes on 2 sheet pans and place themone pan at a timeunder the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the tops of the gratins are lightly browned. Watch them carefully; they burn really quickly! Serve warm.

FRUIT GRATIN WITH CALVADOS AND MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Halve apples lengthwise (quarter if large), leaving stem intact, and core halves with melon-ball cutter. Halve Seckel and Forelle pears or quarter Bartletts lengthwise, then core with melon-ball cutter and trim root ends.
• Melt butter in a 14- by 9-inch oval gratin dish or other 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish in middle of oven, about 2 minutes. Stir in Calvados and 3 tablespoons brown sugar, then add fresh and dried fruit and zest and turn gently to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven, gently turning fruit and basting occasionally with juices, until apples and pears are tender but not falling apart, about 1 hour. Remove dish from oven.
• Preheat broiler.
• Spoon 1/3 cup baking juices from baking dish into a bowl and stir in mascarpone and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rearrange fruit, cut sides up, in baking dish to form an even layer, if necessary, and spoon mascarpone mixture over fruit. Put confectioners sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over fruit. Broil gratin 3 inches from heat until confectioners sugar is caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Available in Italian markets and many supermarkets.

FIFTEEN-MINUTE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler; set the rack as close to the heat source as possible (even 2 inches is not too close).
• Wash, pit, stem, and peel the fruit as necessary. Cut stone fruit in halves or slices as you prefer. Cut strawberries in thick slices; leave smaller berries whole. Put the fruit-there should be at least 2 cups-in a baking or gratin dish just large enough to hold it.
• Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the vanilla until it is thick and just barely holding soft peaks. Pour it over and around the fruit. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Broil carefully, allowing the cream to brown all over and even burn in a couple of spots; rotate the baking dish during broiling if necessary. Remove and serve.
• Using sour cream in place of cream will produce a strikingly different result. Sour cream is thick, rich, flavorful, and (obviously) sour; sweet cream becomes thinner and saucier in texture: Combine 1 cup sour cream with just enough milk-about 1/4 cup-to allow you to whisk it smooth. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and proceed as directed, using 1 tablespoon brown sugar for the topping.

FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Clean the fruits, remove the stone of the peaches and chop in cubes.
• Put all the fruit in an oven-proof dish.
• Top with the crumbled macaroons.
• Mix the orange juice with the lemon zest and sprinkle over the fruit and cookies and leave for about half an hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Whisk the egg whites in a very clean bowl, when stiff add the sugar gradually with the vanilla essence, whisk untill glossy.
• Spread the egg whites on top of the fruit and cookie mixture, try to pattern it a bit.
• Bake for approx 10 minutes (keep an eye on it) until colored to your liking.
• Serve garnished with mint and a scoop of ice cream (optional).