Definition: baked dish, usually with something grated on top, such as cheese or breadcrumbs*
Il va faire une sole au gratin - He's going to make breaded sole
J'aime bien le gratin alsacien - I really like gratin from Alsace
(informal) the upper crust, high society, everybody who's anybody
Tout le gratin sera là ! - Everybody who's anybody will be there!
*In English, au gratin usually means "with cheese," whereas in French it's more like "baked dish with crusty top." And according a French friend of mine, le gratin dauphinois, aka pommes de terre dauphinoises, should never include cheese. The real thing is made with potatoes baked in a simple béchamel sauce or a mix of milk and cream which cooks away and leaves the impression of a kind of cheesy sauce
(click the little graphic below to hear the Mot du jour pronounced)
Il va faire une sole au gratin - He's going to make breaded sole
J'aime bien le gratin alsacien - I really like gratin from Alsace
(informal) the upper crust, high society, everybody who's anybody
Tout le gratin sera là ! - Everybody who's anybody will be there!
*In English, au gratin usually means "with cheese," whereas in French it's more like "baked dish with crusty top." And according a French friend of mine, le gratin dauphinois, aka pommes de terre dauphinoises, should never include cheese. The real thing is made with potatoes baked in a simple béchamel sauce or a mix of milk and cream which cooks away and leaves the impression of a kind of cheesy sauce
(click the little graphic below to hear the Mot du jour pronounced)
Pronunciation: [gra teh(n)]Audio Link
