how do you correctly pronounce "GRATIN" ???

It's French, yes?

So the correct pronunciation will involve pronouncing the vowels in a way you're likely not used to {unless you SPEAK French, in which case, TELL ME WHO YOU ARE, because I'd like to know if it's your Native Tongue, and so you can't help yourself ... or if you learned it as a second or ninth language or something like that}. It will also involve almost dropping that last letter, the "N" ... so the ending sounds like "ahn" instead of "in".

How were you taught to pronounce au gratin? “Grah-tin”; or “gruh-tan”, nearly losing that "n" at the end?

Me, I love France. I love French. I can't speak more than twenty words in French, though, and that's just not useful when traveling over there. Not much use at all.

Me, I want to wake up one day with that "disorder" where you magically UNDERSTAND and SPEAK a foreign language -- make mine FRENCH, sil vous plait {that's PLEASE, in Francaise}.

Okay, so maybe I don't want that disorder - my oh my! - it sounds way worse than just waking up with a whole new language {in addition to your native tongue}. I found this article online, and WHOA, it's not like I thought:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23378059-details/The+woman+who+woke+up+thinking+she+was+French/article.do

But you know, I already suffer from the migraines ... I'm partway there already! But the other symptoms - no thank you very much.

By the way, it's called SUSAC'S SYNDROME, named for Dr. John Susac.

So back to the topic at hand. Wikipedia has this to say about the tasty GRATIN:

Gratin adapted from French cuisine is a type of casserole dish that is covered with Bechamel sauce or Mornay sauce, topped with buttered breadcrumbs or grated cheese and either baked or broiled, then served in its baking dish with a golden crust. Cooking au gratin is a technique rather than exclusively a preparation of potatoes (which is specifically a gratin dauphinois): anything that can be sliced thin, layered with a cream sauce and baked is material for a gratin: fennel, leeks, crabmeat, celeriac, aubergines.

Me, I tried a really tasty Gratin last night ... Mark was impressed with the result ... I found the recipe in the back of William Alexander's book, The $64 Tomato {Ann Deakers, I cannot thank you enough for that book recommendation}.

If you'd like me to POST the recipe, just ask. Leave a COMMENT here, or email to me directly.

I guarantee, it's FALL EATS, this one is. Really tasty, and contrary to the official definition for gratin, THIS HAD NO MILK AND NO CREAM. Oh, and no breadcrumbs. Rather, the top went on for the last 12 minutes, just until browned ... what was it? Grated Parmesan-Romana blend cheese. The only dairy in the entire recipe!

I can't wait for leftovers today!

Au revoir, mon ami --