Ann's Blog
Falmouth Harbour, Antigua:
April 19, 2012:
Chips with a fowl flavour, and
a gratin from the killer christophene
Wherever we travel, I’m a sucker for strange packages on supermarket shelves. They call out to me, “Pick me, pick me,” as I wheel past, and then leap into my basket. Things like mannish water soup “mix” (that one is still residing, unopened, in one of my food lockers, awaiting the surely imminent arrival of a goat’s head) and, more recently, the Trenz-brand sandwich crackers, “CheeseGoBanana!” flavour, that called my name in Ades Dream Supermarket in Carriacou. They sounded disgusting, but for a paltry 60 Eastern Caribbean cents, I had to be sure.
Back on board, I surreptitiously opened the package, took a tentative bite…and surreptitiously threw the rest of the cracker overboard. Without a warning, I offered one to Steve. He still hasn’t forgiven me.
Last week, waiting in the checkout line in one of the small supermarkets in Terre de Haut in Les Iles des Saintes, I spotted a rack of snack-size bags of Lay’s potato chips. These weren’t your ordinary salt-and-vinegar or barbecue chips. These were imported from France, and came in French flavours.
I have a weakness for chips. I also have a weakness for the wonderful thyme-scented, crispy-skinned rotisserie chickens we buy throughout the French Caribbean. So, naturally, I snapped up a bag of the roast-chicken-and-thyme chips.
They tasted like roast chicken with thyme that had been whipped up in a chemist’s lab rather than a kitchen. I ate only one chip (unheard of, for me), and Steve ate exactly one bite of one chip. The Bolognaise flavour (yup, I had to try that, too) was slightly less offensive, though also heavily redolent of chemicals, along with tomatoes and onions.
***
I promised I’d post the christophene gratin recipe that helped me use up the kilo-plus christophene I bought in Martinique. Thanks go to Trini cookbook author and cooking-show host Wendy Rahamut for giving me the idea of combining christophene and tomatoes and baking them with a crumb topping. (By the way, Wendy has a new cookbook out: Curry, Callaloo & Calypso: The Real Taste of Trinidad & Tobago; she let me flip through her advance copy when we were in Trinidad, and it looks fabulous. I can’t wait to pick up my own copy on my next trip to the States.)
Here’s my take on Wendy’s gratin:
Christophene Gratin à la Receta
2 medium christophene, peeled, seed removed, and sliced ¼” thick
½ cup panko
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chadon bene or cilantro (see Tip, below)
1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp + ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1. Steam christophene slices until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine panko, garlic, cheese, herbs, 2 tbsp olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Butter an ovenproof casserole dish. (I use a 1½-qt/1.5 L round Pyrex casserole because it’s what I’ve got onboard.) Preheat oven to 350˚F.
4. Line the bottom of the casserole with overlapping christophene slices. (Depending on the size/shape of your dish, use 1/2 or 1/3 of the slices.) Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Cover with a layer of tomatoes. (Depending on the size/shape of your dish, use all or ½ of the tomato slices.) Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
6. Add another layer of christophene, then repeat layers (if necessary), ending with christophene. Sprinkle panko mixture on top, and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and brown.
Makes 4–6 servings.
Tip: I vary the herbs, depending on what I’ve got onboard. Basil gives the gratin a real Mediterranean flavour, parsley’s a possibility, and chopped sive (green onion) is my fallback.
Variation: For another take on christophene gratin, see my August 10, 2010 post.
(This was a half-recipe, just for Steve and me.)
Sign up to be notified by email when I post a new blog
Isn’t it funny how that phrase “too good to be true” holds fast when it comes to snack food.
Thanks for posting! I cook with chayote (same thing) all the time. I’ll try this one soon.