what is a tian in cooking

You know the final scene of the 2007 Disney movie Ratatouille, when the rat cooks up an amazingly inspired reinterpretation of a classic ratatouille, transforming the humble summer vegetable stew into a gorgeous layered construction that melts a bitter restaurant critics heart? Wasnt it wonderful? And didnt it then inspire an endless rash of internet recipes, each attempting to re-create the movies “ratatouille” for everyone to make at home?

Well, I have an issue with all of that, because as far as Im concerned, the dish in the movie isnt ratatouille, no matter how you slice it—or, actually, specifically because of how you slice it and then cook it.

As the story goes, Thomas Keller, who consulted on the film, offered his fancy layered “ratatouille” recipe as the pièce de résistance for that final scene; he called it a byaldi. Kellers byaldi, meanwhile, can be traced back to the French chef Michel Guérard, one of the founders of nouvelle cuisine, who named it after a Turkish stuffed eggplant dish.

Heres the problem: That upgraded ratatouille traveled an unnecessarily convoluted path through the hands of two famous chefs and one Disney movie, because it already existed in Provence, sitting right alongside ratatouille on the dinner table. Its been made there for generations, and any restaurant critic worth his salt would have recognized it for what it was right away—not ratatouille, but a tian.

Technically, a tian is any casserole cooked in an earthenware vessel by the same name, but these days it almost always refers to some kind of layered vegetable dish thats gratinéed (browned on top) in the oven. Zucchini and other squash are very common in tians, as are eggplant and tomato. (Notice the overlap with ratatouille ingredients…but, still, doesnt make it ratatouille.) And theyre often made very much like you see in the movie, with some kind of sauce in the casserole and raw, thinly sliced vegetables either tossed in the sauce or layered on top, then baked until the vegetables are tender.

But my problem with the dish isnt just a semantic one. I also have issues with the overall method of cooking the dish, because it almost always ends up with the vegetables tasting bland. That shouldnt be much of a surprise—what else is going to happen when watery vegetables are crowded together in a dish and then baked in a steamy cloud of each others moisture?

So, not only do I want to restore this dish to its proper name—a tian—I also want to improve how this particular tian tastes, making sure that the flavors end up concentrated and intense, not watery and bland.

The obvious fix is to pre-cook each vegetable individually to get rid of some of the excess moisture before layering them together. Plus, pre-cooking means we can better develop their flavors by browning each piece, which is almost impossible when theyre steaming away in the oven.

I played with a couple of ways to do that. I was sure the easiest would be to toss each sliced vegetable with oil, spread them in a single layer on baking sheets, and roast them in the oven, but that didnt work well at all: When sliced thinly, vegetables like squash and eggplant dehydrate in the oven long before they brown.

I tried pre-salting the eggplant and squashes to drive off some excess moisture before putting them in the oven. But those thin slices absorb way too much salt, and, since theyre the bulk of the final dish, it ends up horribly salty.

Ultimately, I found that the best method was to sauté each sliced vegetable in a very hot skillet, working in batches small enough to guarantee that theyd brown before they risked overcooking and turning to mush. I also found that the ideal slice thickness is somewhere between one-eighth and one-quarter of an inch—any thinner, and the slices shrink to almost nothing as they cook, making them incredibly difficult to work with later.

It takes a little time to do this, but not too much, and the flavor improvement is well worth it. As each batch finished, I transferred it to a baking sheet, spreading the vegetables in an even layer to cool. As you can see, the fastidious side of me took over—I couldnt resist the urge to re-stack each vegetable after it had cooled, which actually made them really easy to work with later.

With the vegetables cooked, I whipped up a quick tomato sauce, then spooned it into the bottom of an earthenware casserole. Mine has about a two-quart capacity, but theres some flexibility on the necessary volume and shape of the baking vessel. Just arrange the vegetables in a way that works, packing them more tightly if the dish is smaller and spacing them apart more if its bigger.

If your dish is round, a circular pattern, like what I used here, works well; if its rectangular, you may want to do rows instead. Then I spooned a little more sauce on top, popped the dish in a hot oven, and cooked it until it was heated through. I didnt worry too much about browning the top of the casserole here, since Id already browned all my vegetable slices beforehand.

Because the vegetables had a head start on cooking, they reduced and intensified in flavor in the oven, becoming creamy and getting a nice balance of bright flavors and sweetness from the browning. If I were to describe the result, Id say it was like the love child of Italian eggplant parm and, well, ratatouille. Thats a far better background story, anyway.

In French cuisine, a tian (pronounced tyan) is both a roasted vegetable dish and the shallow earthenware vessel traditionally used for baking and serving the dish.

Special Equipment

The exact size and shape of the baking dish are flexible. The vegetables should be layered more tightly in a smaller dish and spaced more widely apart in a larger one. In round dishes, its best to layer the vegetables in a circular pattern; in rectangular dishes, they should be layered in rows.

Provençal Tian (Eggplant, Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Casserole) Recipe

• About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3/4 pound zucchini (about 2 medium), ends trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 pound summer squash (about 2 medium), ends trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick
• 3/4 pound Japanese eggplant (about 2), ends trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick
• 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 small onion)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Working in batches and being sure not to crowd the pan, add zucchini, season with salt, and cook, turning, until just tender and browned in spots, about 4 minutes per batch. Add more oil as needed to prevent pan from drying out, and adjust heat as needed throughout to maintain a very hot, but not heavily smoking, pan. Transfer each batch to a baking sheet and spread in an even layer to cool, then transfer cooled slices to a second baking sheet or plate. Repeat with remaining zucchini, squash, and eggplant until all vegetables are lightly browned. Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer
• In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring and adjusting heat to maintain simmer, for 15 minutes. Blend to a smooth purée with a hand blender or in a countertop blender, then add marjoram or oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
• In an earthenware, ceramic, or glass baking dish, spoon just enough sauce to cover bottom of dish in a thin, even layer. Arrange sautéed vegetable slices in an alternating layered pattern (see notes) on top of sauce until entire dish is filled. Spoon a thin layer of sauce on top of vegetables; reserve remaining sauce for another use. Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Bake until tian is fully heated through and lightly browned on top, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Tomato Tian: a simple summer dish that celebrate tomatoes

FAQ

What does tian mean in cooking?

What kind of food is tian?

Is ratatouille the same as tian?

Where does vegetable tian come from?

What is a Tian & how do you make it?

Simplicity is the essence of a tian. A tian is primarily made from two to four types of sliced vegetables—think zucchini and other squash, eggplant, and tomatoes—arranged in alternating layers in a baking dish for a bold, appetizing look. Sometimes the vegetables are cubed or shredded, so they cook into a supremely tender, olive oil-softened dish.

How do you cook a Tian?

Tomato Sauce – The vegetables in a tian are baked on a layer of tomato sauce to keep them from drying out. Use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce. Garlic and Olive Oil – It wouldn’t be Provencal cooking without garlic and olive oil! Olives – Finely chopped olives are added to the tomato sauce base for extra flavor.

What is a vegetable Tian?

A Vegetable Tian is an iconic dish from Provence that alternates slices of tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants, baked until tender and charred.

How do you eat a Tian?

The tian is a fun way to serve the bounty when garden vegetables are in season, and making it is relatively straightforward: Slice vegetables into 1/8-inch thick rounds. For example, choose zucchini, yellow squash, red potatoes, eggplant, and Roma tomatoes of approximately equal diameter.