This April, we visited the Emile Henry factory in France, where our team got to witness firsthand how their world-famous bakeware went from local Burgundy clay to the richly-pigmented dishes out of which we enjoy baguettes, tagines, poulet roti, peach cobblers, and so much more.
Our plan was simple: Mail an Emile Henry Pie Dish to Dorie Greenspan's Paris apartment; shoot a video of her making a dish of her choice in that pie dish. But the notoriously unreliable French postal service didn't let that happen. Instead, after our business trip to the Emile Henry HQ in Marcigny, a small town in Burgundy, Buyer & Shop Merchandising Manager Kristina Wasserman toted the ceramic grey dish in her carry-on bag when we flew to Paris. (We were supposed to take a train, but there were railroad strikes across the country. C'est la vie!)
By the time the dish got to Dorie's pied-à-terre, it was so ready to be covered in olive oil, ratatouille-esque vegetables, fresh herbs, and more olive oil, because that's really all it takes to make the Summer Vegetable Tian from her upcoming book, Everyday Dorie (out this October).
Okay, okay: It's hotter than what an Emile Henry pie dish can take outside and you probably don't want to turn on your oven. I get it! But believe me, this is worth it—especially if you're serving it at some sort of outdoor soirée, as it just so happens to be vegan and gluten-free. Think of this Provençal dish, which is named for the casserole in which it is made, as a gratin that's too easy-breezy to be weighed down by cheese. According to Dorie, "If your vegetables melt and border on jam, you’ve made a good tian." More oil means more sauce to dip some eager, crusty bread into; less oil means it will still be phenomenal.
To get the alliums (garlic and onion) and vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes) needed for the tian, Dorie and I walked to a nearby farmers market. We chatted about how, pre-internet, her fans would simply walk up to her on the street to say hi, and there was a good chance she invited them over to share some of her food. (This is probably not feasible nowadays, considering her accurate-if-not-official web title of "The Queen of Cookies.") She told me that the flour on my denim jacket—leftover from the giant bite I took out of a fresh baguette—was an official sign that I was, in fact, in Paris.
When I admitted to spending absurd amounts of time at the market perusing and poking produce, she said it's likely that the vendors in France won't let you do that; it's the curse of the "5 o'clock melon." She was referring to how, while you're shopping at outdoor markets in France, a vendor might ask you: "What time do you plan on eating this [fruit/vegetable]? This one's good for 5 o'clock, this one is better for 9 o'clock." Talk about knowing your product!
Back in Dorie's apartment, I was pleased to notice that her kitchen was about the size of the tiny one I had in Brooklyn, and simultaneously dismayed, because I officially have no more excuses left to avoid making all the fancy-looking recipes of hers that I've bookmarked. I couldn't even blame my procrastination on my finicky oven, because Dorie, too, was griping about hers. And it was really really hot that day, as I can attest from sitting on her windowsill, asking her questions for the video.
Emile Henry Ceramic Round Tart Dish
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So if Dorie can make a tian, so can we, because let me tell you: Whether or not she ended up using 3 o'clock tomatoes for our late lunch, it was divine. And yes, she is Dorie Greenspan, but I saw her make the dish from start to finish and there wasn't much more to it than slicing vegetables, lining them up, showering it with olive oil and herbs, and putting the whole not-enchilada in the oven. Joie de vivre is an optional ingredient, but with a dish that smells so good, it's easy to source; no ticket to France necessary.
| 5 | to 9 tablespoons (75 ml to 135 ml) extra-virgin olive oil |
| 3 | garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
| 10 | sprigs fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, tarragon and/or basil |
| 3 | pinches fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper |
| 1 1/2 | pounds (680 grams) tomatoes |
| 1/2 | pound (227 grams) zucchini, green or yellow, scrubbed and trimmed |
| 1/4 | pound (113 grams) eggplant, washed and trimmed |
| 1/4 | pound (113 grams) red onion(s) |
| 1 | loaf or so good bread, for serving |
| 5 | to 9 tablespoons (75 ml to 135 ml) extra-virgin olive oil |
| 3 | garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
| 10 | sprigs fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, tarragon and/or basil |
| 3 | pinches fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper |
| 1 1/2 | pounds (680 grams) tomatoes |
| 1/2 | pound (227 grams) zucchini, green or yellow, scrubbed and trimmed |
| 1/4 | pound (113 grams) eggplant, washed and trimmed |
| 1/4 | pound (113 grams) red onion(s) |
| 1 | loaf or so good bread, for serving |
Have you ever made a tian? Tell us about it below!
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Written by: Nikkitha Bakshani
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