apple and red cabbage gratin

i think it's safe to say that wikipedia is close to being my best friend.  


for those of  you who aren't familiar with a gratin, here is wikipedia's definition.  


i love making gratins.  although it's a tedious process, the results are totally worth it.  i wanted to make a gratin last week to go with a special, and this is what we came up with.


granny smith apple and red cabbage gratin.


the process is simple really.  slice apples, onions and red cabbage thin. if you have a mandoline, i recommend using it...if not... i recommend buying one!  it'll absolutely cut your prep time down considerably.  


where was i?


oh yeah.  the layering.


layering is probably the most time consuming part of making a gratin (unless you don't have a mandoline, then slicing will easily be the winner there...).  get a casserole dish or roasting pan..  spray it with pan spray.  (seriously.  it'll be a pain in the ass to clean if you don't.)  then... the process starts.


i started my layers with the apples.  do your best to get an even overlapping layer with no spaces showing.  it's not crucial, but it'll help your gratin hold together.

next, layer your red cabbage.

then...red onion!

make sure you season with salt and pepper.  pour some heavy cream (maybe 1/2 cup..depending on size of dish) over all of it.  and.... start over with your apples.  if you want to add some more depth to it, sprinkle in some blue cheese every other layer or so.  i used some shredded yellow cheddar.  normally i would have used stilton, but was afraid it wouldn't fit with the dish i had in mind.

ok.  now that you've got your layers all done, complete with seasoning and cream in every other layer or so... top it off with some shredded cheddar (or stilton.)  cover with foil.  throw that bad boy in the oven at 350 degress for an hour.  pull it out when your time is up, take off the foil and put it back in for about another half hour.

now... eat.