Langoustine gratin
This elegant gratin has a layer of brunoise vegetables in the bottom, with langoustine tails (scampi) cooked in two stages on top, finished with a thick creamy sauce, made with the "fumet" from the langoustines.
This recipe is quite long to make, but can be prepared in stages over a number of days. The end result is well worth all the effort.
This recipe is quite long to make, but can be prepared in stages over a number of days. The end result is well worth all the effort.
44K 40 4.3
Last modified on: December 30th 2019
Keywords for this recipe:For 6 people, you will need:
- 1
1 kg 500 g langoustines (scampi) - 2
1 Bouquet garni - 3
30 g onion - 4
30 g butter - 5
200 ml water - 6
200 ml dry white wine - 7
2 carrots - 8
3 turnips - 9
1 courgette - 10 30 g butter
- 11
250 ml liquid cream - 12
20 g cornflour - 13
salt - 14
pepper - Total weight: 3,175 grams
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour 32 min. | 43 min. | 2 hours 15 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 20 min.
Boiling the langoustines
Boil the langoustiens for 30 seconds in boiling salted water, then cool under running cold water.Shell them and set aside the tails. Keep half the heads for making the fumet.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Stage 3 - 2 min.
Melt 30 g butter in a large saucepan on medium heat, then add the chopped onion, salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 minute without colouring.
Cook for 1 minute without colouring.
Stage 4 - 1 min.
Add the langoustine heads...
Stage 5 - 2 min.
... and crush briefly with the end of a rolling pin, for example.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Pour in 200 ml water and 200 ml dry white wine, then add the bouquet garni.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to its lowest setting and leave to reduce by half.
This simmering will create the "fumet", as the liquids (water and wine) mingle with the flavours of the bouquet garni and langoustine heads.
This simmering will create the "fumet", as the liquids (water and wine) mingle with the flavours of the bouquet garni and langoustine heads.
Stage 8 - 40 min.
The vegetable brunoise
While the fumet is reducing, rinse and peel 2 carrots and 3 turnips, then dice very small ("fine brunoise").Rinse the courgette and cut the part with the green skin into tiny dice (you can use the leftover courgette in another recipe).
I have to admit, this is a long, arduous task!
Stage 9 - 5 min.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
Immerse a fine metal strainer, which will enable you to remove the vegetables quickly.
Immerse a fine metal strainer, which will enable you to remove the vegetables quickly.
Stage 10 - 1 min.
Toss the diced courgettes into the water, wait until the pan comes back to the boil, then remove them immediately by simply lifting out the strainer.
Stage 11 - 1 min.
Cool the diced courgettes under running cold water to stop the cooking...
Stage 12 - 2 min.
...drain thoroughly, then tip out onto absorbant paper to wait.
Stage 13 - 5 min.
Do the same with the carrots and turnips, which can be cooked together, and for 30 seconds longer than the courgettes.
Note: Don't throw this cooking water away - it is now worth keeping.
Note: Don't throw this cooking water away - it is now worth keeping.
Stage 14 - 4 min.
Stage 15 - 3 min.
The gratin cream sauce
Let's go back to the fumet, which by now should be reduced by half. Strain into a bowl and discard everything but the liquid.Stage 16 - 2 min.
Pour this back into the pan (after rinsing out), but be careful to keep back the dregs of the fumet which will be full of sand and should be discarded.
Stage 17 - 8 min.
Put the fumet back on medium heat and leave to reduce by half again.
Stage 18 - 3 min.
Add 250 ml liquid cream, salt lightly, pepper and then check the seasoning.
Stage 19 - 2 min.
Stage 20 - 4 min.
Assembling the gratin
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).Butter a gratin dish and spread the mixed diced vegetables in an even layer.
Stage 21 - 2 min.
Arrange the sautéed langoustine tails on top.
Stage 22 - 2 min.
Pour the sauce over.
Stage 23 - 15 min.
Cooking and serving
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the top is nicely browned (finish under the grill if necessary).Stage 24
Best served plated up (on hot plates): try to keep the langoustines on top and the vegetables underneath.
Remarks
As I was saying, this recipe takes a long time, but much of it can be prepared in advance. Only the assembly of the gratin and final cooking need to be done just before serving.
You will see that in stage 19 the cream is not reduced, but thickened with cornflour instead. This is to keep a decent quantity of sauce without it being too liquid, otherwise it would run into the bottom of the dish.
If you are happy with the idea, you can dispense with boiling the langoustines in salated water in stage 1 and shell them raw before the sauté stage (stage 14).
To simplify the recipe, just slice the vegetables thinly instead of cutting into brunoise dice.
You will see that in stage 19 the cream is not reduced, but thickened with cornflour instead. This is to keep a decent quantity of sauce without it being too liquid, otherwise it would run into the bottom of the dish.
If you are happy with the idea, you can dispense with boiling the langoustines in salated water in stage 1 and shell them raw before the sauté stage (stage 14).
To simplify the recipe, just slice the vegetables thinly instead of cutting into brunoise dice.
Keeping
Should be eaten immediately.
Nutritional information
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 2,882 Kcal or 12,066 Kj | 272 gr | 81 gr | 164 gr |
| 144 % | 104 % | 8 % | 25 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 91 Kcal or 381 Kj | 9 gr | 3 gr | 5 gr |
| 5 % | 3 % | <1 % | 1 % |
| Per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 480 Kcal or 2,010 Kj | 45 gr | 14 gr | 27 gr |
| 24 % | 17 % | 1 % | 4 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 27.60 €
- Per person : 4.60 €
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Source
Home made.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Langoustines (scampi): You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Scrambled eggs with langoustines and asparagus tips., Sesame fried scampi, Chilli langoustines, Langoustine sabayon tart, Turban of sole with langoustines, ... All |
 | Liquid cream: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Plum and almond panna cotta, Madras rice, Rabbit civet "à la normande", Salmon with sorrel, Green beans "Napoléon", ... All |
 | Water: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Super-green, super-thrifty soup, Franche-Comté sticks, Eggs meurette, Vegetable stock, Du Barry soup, ... All |
 | Dry white wine: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Fish "à la Bordelaise", Béarnaise sauce, Polenta with spinach and soft-poached egg, Beurre blanc sauce, Cured Pork Belly With Lentils, ... All |
Other recipes you may also like
Nanou's chocolate cake
A moist melting cake, very very chocolaty...261K4.6 1 hour 45 min. June 22th 2013
Passion fruit jellies
Usually to make fruit jellies or (fruit "paste"), it's like jam but you need to cook fruit pulp and sugar much longer. Unfortunately, this long cooking is bad for both vitamins and flavour. In this recipe we use a special jam gelling agent, to reduce cooking time as much as possible .305K4 2 hours 30 min. July 4th 2018
Tiramisu
Classic italian recipe (the name means "pull me up" or more poetically, "take me up to the sky"). It's similar to a charlotte in its structure: layers of flavoured biscuits between layers of smooth cream.467K5 49 min. July 27th 2013
Fillings for macaroons
The macaroons recipe shows how to make these small cakes, and gives the example of a raspberry filling. Here are several other possibilities: Apricot macaroons, Chocolate macaroons, Mint macaroons, Blackcurrant macaroons.274K 24.3 2 hours 1 min. May 30th 2020
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe,...1.5M 714.6 2 hours 38 min. October 3rd 2019
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2023-02-05)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post your comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.