Get Creative with Pixar-Style Ratatouille

 

 

Pixars Ratatouille is famous for its beautiful, unbelievable detail, and the food its hero cooks is no exception. Famously, Pixar hired Chef Thomas Keller to serve as culinary consultant, and the French Laundry luminary worked with the Pixar crew to realize the films eponymous dish. While it may not resemble old-school ratatouille, the movies version makes the most of that stews iconic flavorstomato, zucchini, peppers, onion, eggplant, and garlic. The peppers and onions get mixed into a piperade, which is thinly spread across the bottom of a casserole pan. On top: those carefully shingled, perfectly sliced vegetables. Keller called the variation confit byaldi, but to everyone who fell in love with the movie, this was ratatouille: a dish fit for a food critic yet so simple a rat could cook it. (Okay, maybe only a magic animated rat with a culinary gift, but still.) Weve got a foolproof method you can use to experience the quiet bliss of making that ratatouille yourself, and we created some fun variations too. Think Breakfastouille, a touille with root vegetables, and even a sweet touille you can whip up whenever a tough dessert critic stops by unannounced. With ratatouille, there are many ways to get creative. Theyre all going to be delicious.

---

ChefSteps is here to make you a better cook. Drawing on our years of combined culinary experience, we create hands-on online classes and original recipes that are both informative and entertaining. We don't tell you how to sharpen your knife or make macarons from scratch, we show you. Whether you're a home cook, a professional chef, or just love watching cooks work, we can help you cook smarter.