Genevan Cardoon Gratin
The fleshy ribs of cardoon, long-cooked until melting, coated with marrow and cream, then gratinéed under a crust of cheese. The bitter, noble vegetable of grand Genevan winter tables.
The fleshy ribs of cardoon, long-cooked until melting, coated with marrow and cream, then gratinéed under a crust of cheese. The bitter, noble vegetable of grand Genevan winter tables.
You who know Geneva only through my books, know that we honor winter with a vegetable both rough and tender: the cardoon. It must be trimmed with patience, its strings removed, cooked long until it yields to the tooth, then laid under cream and the cheese of our mountains. This is not the pomp of courts, but an honest opulence, that of a city of hardworking burghers. I confess that my frugal taste made an exception for this dish of my homeland.
- •Cardoons — one bunch (star vegetable)
- •Beef marrow — a few pieces (creaminess)
- •Thick cream — a bowl (binder)
- •Grated mountain cheese — a handful (gratin topping)
- •Butter — a knob (fat)
- •Salt, nutmeg — to taste (seasoning)
Genevan Cardoon Gratin
The fleshy ribs of cardoon, long-cooked until melting, coated with marrow and cream, then gratinéed under a crust of cheese. The bitter, noble vegetable of grand Genevan winter tables.
Why this dish? Born a Genevan and proud of it, Rousseau evokes the cuisine of his native city: cardoon, the emblematic winter holiday vegetable in Geneva, where it is served as a creamy gratin.
You who know Geneva only through my books, know that we honor winter with a vegetable both rough and tender: the cardoon. It must be trimmed with patience, its strings removed, cooked long until it yields to the tooth, then laid under cream and the cheese of our mountains. This is not the pomp of courts, but an honest opulence, that of a city of hardworking burghers. I confess that my frugal taste made an exception for this dish of my homeland.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cardoons — one bunch (star vegetable)
- Beef marrow — a few pieces (creaminess)
- Thick cream — a bowl (binder)
- Grated mountain cheese — a handful (gratin topping)
- Butter — a knob (fat)
- Salt, nutmeg — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Cardoons (fresh or jarred) — 1 kg net (star vegetable)
- Beef marrow — 4 pieces (or 30 g extra butter) (creaminess)
- Thick crème fraîche — 250 ml (binder)
- Grated Gruyère or Comté — 100 g (gratin topping)
- Butter — 30 g (fat)
- Salt, nutmeg — to taste (seasoning)
- Lemon juice — 1 (prevent browning)
Method
- Peel the cardoons, remove the strings, cut the ribs into pieces, and plunge them immediately into lemon water.
- Cook them for 40 to 60 minutes in salted water until tender, then drain.
- Poach the marrow for 5 minutes in simmering water, then slice it.
- Arrange the cardoons in a buttered dish, scatter the marrow, season with salt and nutmeg, and coat with cream.
- Cover with grated cheese and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes until a beautiful golden crust forms.
How it was made : In Geneva, the cardoon — a relative of the artichoke cultivated for its ribs — has been the vegetable of end-of-year festive meals since the 18th century. It was blanched under cloches to tenderize it, then simmered with marrow. The gratin remains a classic of the Genevan Christmas table today.
The contemporary twist : Serve in small individual gratin dishes with a sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts to awaken the noble bitterness of the cardoon.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Charactorium