Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Ina Garten
Equipment
4-inch Small Baking Dish
Ingredients
Zucchini:
2largezucchini, sliced into ¼-inch coins
Sea salt, to taste
Gratin:
4tbspbutter, divided
1largeyellow onion, halved and sliced
1tbspflour
1largegarlic clove, minced
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
⅛tspnutmeg
½cupHOT heavy cream
½cuppanko crumbs
½cupGruyere, finely grated
Instructions
Slice the zucchini into ¼-inch thick coins and place them into a colander over a plate. Season with sea salt, to taste, and toss to coat. Set aside for at least 30 minutes but preferably up to 2 hours.
Shake the strainer to remove any water from the zucchini then place the coins between paper towels and press hard to remove any excess water.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 4-inch small baking dish with butter or olive oil cooking spray.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes, or until translucent but not browned. Side Note: Add a bit of water if the onions get dry while cooking.
Add the zucchini coins and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Add the flour, garlic, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and nutmeg and cook stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
Add the HOT cream and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes, until it just thickens.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Combine the panko crumbs with the gruyere cheese and some sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, and stir until well-mixed. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the zucchini then top evenly with dollops of the last tablespoon of butter.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately and enjoy.