A visit to the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe provided a new taste treat: Christophene au Gratin. Christophene, or chayote as it is known in Spanish-speaking countries and the Untied States, is technically a gourd and considered a fruit, though it is not sweet. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in a variety of ways. It’s very mild taste makes it adaptable to several kinds of dishes. Clearly the French influence produced this excellent gratinéed version.
When buying christophenes, look for nicely green specimens that are very firm, with no soft spots. This recipe makes an excellent first course or an unusual vegetable side dish. One of the nice attributes of Christophene au Gratin is that it can be all prepared a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to gratinée.
Cut each christophene in half lengthwise. Discard the seeds (though they are edible).
Cut christophenes in half and discard the seed.
Steam or boil the christophenes in salted water for about 30 minutes or until the flesh is very tender. I prefer the steaming method because it keeps them from absorbing so much water.
Steam the christophenes.
Refresh under cold water and drain. Scrape out the flesh with a spoon, being careful not to cut through the skin. You should have about 1⁄4-inch thick skins remaining.
Scoop out the flesh.
Drain the flesh in a colander, pressing to exude as much excess water as possible.
Press out excess water.
Purée the flesh in a food processor.
Purée the flesh.
Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and the jalapeño, and cook until the shallots are very lightly browned and the jalapeño is tender.
Sauté shallots and jalapeño.
Stir in the flour, and cook for a couple minutes.
Cook the flour.
Whisk in the milk, and continue cooking until the mixture is thickened.
Whisk in the milk.
Add the parsley, thyme, nutmeg, Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the christophene purée, and taste again for seasoning.
Stir in the flesh.
Butter a baking dish. Coarsely grate the Gruyere. Spoon the christophene mixture into the shells. Generally, 4 christophenes yield enough mixture to fill only 6 half-shells.
Top each with the Gruyere and soft bread crumbs. (Panko may be substituted for the fresh bread crumbs.) May be made ahead to this point and refrigerated.
Fill the shells.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.
Gratinée the christophenes.
