1 tablespoon butter
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and saute until lightly browned.
3. Season zucchini with salt and pepper and transfer an oven proof dish, layering without overlapping, sprinkling Parmesan over each layer.
4. Combine milk and egg and pour over zucchini. Bake until mixture has set, about half an hour.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons butter
2 chicken breasts, halved
1 cup dry red wine
1 sprig thyme, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 button mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast and brown on all sides.
2. Add the wine, thyme, rosemary, garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until chicken is tender, about an hour.
3. Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir in the flour. Cook for about a minute, then stir in the juices from the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
4. Serve chicken with prepared sauce and garnish with bacon bits and chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings

I've made a couple of other gratins in the past (Broccoli and Cauliflower) and basically took them to mean "baked in cheese sauce". I didn't, basically until moving here, know that "gratin" was pronounced "grah-tan" and not "grah-tin" so people probably make jokes at my expense. This "gratin" (and this time I use quotes because I'm really not sure anymore) is more of a custard with cheese. Does that still qualify? Either way, the pseudo-Zucchini Gratin slash custard slash quichey zucchini dish was good. Shannon said she did not like it very much, in which I replied she was crazy because I thought it was delicious. Both zucchini and eggs are great at tasting like basically nothing at all, so this can easily be dressed up with sharp cheeses and fragrant herbs of your choosing.

I forgot to take a picture of the brussel sprouts individually. They were simply boiled and tossed with garlic butter and season with salt and pepper. These ones were surprisingly palatable, but brussel sprouts seem to be hit or miss because I never know when I'll grab an especially potent batch.

Learning how to make a roux, in all its simplicity, is one of the most important things I've learned in my culinary adventure so far this year. A roux is simply equal parts melted butter and flour to form a paste that can be used to thicken a sauce. Unfortunately, I have not quite seemed to grasp the concept of how much roux is necessary to thicken how much sauce, and basically everything evolves into a thick gravy (like my Merchand de Vin). I made the same mistake again making Coq au Vin. Fortunately, Shannon has a forgiving palette and swore it was delicious and satisfied her every desire. Please note that I did not have her indulge in any of the vin before consuming said dish! The "crispy bits" (bacon) were her favorite part. Had the sauce been saucier instead of a gravy, I would've liked this very much as well.