Best 3 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 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.

DULCE DE LECHE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons dulce de leche evenly on bottom of each gratin dish, then divide blueberries evenly among dishes. Arrange 4 plum quarters in each dish.
• Put gratin dishes on a baking sheet and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until dulce de leche begins to bubble, about 4 minutes, then sprinkle evenly with nuts and broil until nuts are browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve warm.
• *Available at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.