Enjoy these wonderful recipes created specifically
for the Le Creuset Saucier and Au Gratin.

A Simple and Simply
Wonderful, Tomato Sauce
....................................................
Casseroled Eggs for Brunch,
Lunch - or Supper
....................................................
The Classic Potato Gratin
....................................................
A Classic Cheese Sauce for Vegetables
....................................................
Oven-Roasted Cauliflower



A Simple, and Simply Wonderful,
Tomato Sauce
2.25 Qt. Saucier

This is such a versatile sauce, as versatile as the Le Creuset Saucier in which it’s made. First, the enamel coating of the pan is nonporous and nonreactive, so, if necessary, you can make the sauce and refrigerate it in the same pan. The integral handle makes it a breeze to sauté ingredients, and the cover seals in steam for cooking mussels in a bit of the sauce, for example.

When tomatoes are out of season, the canned variety work beautifully. And dried oregano seems to give more flavor than the fresh herb (though you can use the latter – about 1 tablespoon chopped).

This thick and rich, rustic sauce lends itself to many variations. Meatballs cook beautifully in it, or add sautéed ground beef, sausage, pork or bacon for a sturdier dish that’s great over pasta. Mushrooms, too, are a great addition. As mentioned, try cooking mussels for 2 in about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Add chopped fennel with the onion and garlic, and when tender, toss in chunks of white fish followed in two minutes by scallops and shrimp. Briefly cook (2-3 minutes or until the shellfish are just cooked) and serve over pasta.

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced (see note below)
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes in puree
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine, such as Italian Sangiovese
Salt (start with 1 teaspoon)
Freshly ground pepper (start with 1/2 teaspoon)
Big pinch of sugar, if needed

Heat the olive oil in the Saucier over medium heat and, when shimmering, add the onion and sauté until translucent but not browned about 3-4 minutes Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant – about 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in the basil and cook until the herb is wilted, about 1 minute. Then add the oregano, tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt and pepper. Stir in the wine and bring just to the boil.

Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and if it seems too acidic, add the sugar and continue to cook an additional 10 minutes. The sauce may be used immediately or cooled and refrigerated or frozen.

This makes about 3 1/2 cups sauce.

Note: The easy way to obtain paper-thin slices of garlic is to use the Le Creuset Garlic Slicer/Shredder. All you need do is peel the cloves (remove any green “germ” if necessary) and place them in the feed tube. Then simply move the tube back and forth. (Turn the slicer over to get finely shredded garlic.) Slices this thin simply melt into a sauce or soup. Before roasting, try inserting the slices under the skin of poultry, or use a knife to cut multiple tiny slashes into the surface of beef, pork, or lamb and insert the sliced garlic. It’s a wonderful way to enhance flavor, and the garlic slicer makes it so easy.