Crisp Tomato, Zucchini, and Eggplant Bread Gratin
Recipe from
Food & Wine
Jerry Traunfeld created this gorgeous gratin to highlight ripe, juicy tomatoes and other late-summer vegetables, which moisten the crispy bread crust as they bake. "Don't be afraid to lift a corner with a spatula and check to see whether the bread is toasted," he says. "When it's browned, it's done."

Servings:
6
Prep Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 50 mins
Ingredients
-
1/2medium eggplant, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thicksee savings

-
1medium zucchini or yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thicksee savings

-
Kosher saltsee savings

-
6 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oilsee savings

-
4garlic cloves, minced or mashedsee savings

-
1 14-ounceloaf rustic white bread, crusts removed and bread sliced 1/2 inch thicksee savings

-
Freshly ground peppersee savings

-
1/2 cuptorn basil leavessee savings

-
3medium tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thicksee savings

-
1 teaspoonthyme leavessee savings

Directions
1.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a colander, toss the eggplant and zucchini with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and let stand for 20 minutes. Drain well and gently squeeze out any excess liquid.
2.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the olive oil with the garlic. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the garlic-infused oil. Tear the bread into 2-inch pieces and line the bottom of the baking dish with bread, fitting the pieces tightly together. Drizzle the bread with 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the bread with half of the basil.
3.
In a medium bowl, toss the eggplant and zucchini with 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and pepper. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes over the bread, overlapping them if necessary. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves, salt, and pepper and drizzle with the remaining garlic oil.
4.
Bake the gratin for about 40 minutes, until the vegetables begin to brown and the bottom of the bread is golden brown. Remove the vegetable gratin from the oven and let stand until cooled slightly, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining basil, cut into pieces and serve.
MAKE AHEAD
The gratin can be baked up to 2 hours in advance. Reheat in a 350 degrees oven or serve at room temperature.
Add Your Review
Related Recipe
Articles
Bittersweet Bliss: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
...Few desserts signal the arrival of spring quite like a sweet-tart Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp or pie... only half of the stalks. With them, I made a tart, a crisp, and a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam. All... for celebration (I kept my plant alive!). Sounds like the perfect time for a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. rhubarb... read more...
...Few desserts signal the arrival of spring quite like a sweet-tart Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp or pie... only half of the stalks. With them, I made a tart, a crisp, and a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam. All... for celebration (I kept my plant alive!). Sounds like the perfect time for a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. rhubarb... read more...
Loaves of Luck: Classic Irish Soda Bread
... at an Irish pub, it's likely your meal was served with soda bread. Soda bread, as the name implies, is a type... of quick bread that bakes up with a crunchy, golden brown exterior and a surprisingly moist, dense interior.... The secret to the bread's unique texture? The combination of flour, bread soda, salt and buttermilk... read more...
... at an Irish pub, it's likely your meal was served with soda bread. Soda bread, as the name implies, is a type... of quick bread that bakes up with a crunchy, golden brown exterior and a surprisingly moist, dense interior.... The secret to the bread's unique texture? The combination of flour, bread soda, salt and buttermilk... read more...
3 Things to Make With...Canned Diced Tomatoes
...: Canned tomatoes are perhaps the epitome of the classic pantry staple. Although most tomato lovers would... agree that nothing quite compares to fresh homegrown tomatoes right off the vine, who would want... to limit their tomato consumption to just a few short months of the year? It was no doubt the downright... read more...
...: Canned tomatoes are perhaps the epitome of the classic pantry staple. Although most tomato lovers would... agree that nothing quite compares to fresh homegrown tomatoes right off the vine, who would want... to limit their tomato consumption to just a few short months of the year? It was no doubt the downright... read more...

