It’s amazing how often utilising the steam and the convection or fan forced heat together in your Combination Steam oven pays dividends. Often those new to the palace kitchen ask me how they know when they should use their Combination Steam function when they are cooking. Many loyal subjects can feel like it’s a little overwhelming trying to figure out how they can use their Combi-Steam oven to cook things that they have always cooked using their new functionality. You can find some help with this on the Facebook page with my CSQ Royal Re-Dos. #royalredo

Knowing when to use Steam only is, for many, the most simple option to figure out. Essentially you use Steam when you are cooking foods that you would usually cook in a pot of water or in a steamer saucepan or basket, over a pot of water.

Knowing when to use Combination Steam (or Hot Air+Steaming) can seem a little more challenging but it’s not if you remember a few key things. Firstly, it’s important to remember what this function will actually do to the food and what the outcome will be. It is designed to give you browning on the outside and help to cook food with moisture on the inside. The more browning and crispiness you want on the outside the higher you should have the temperature and you can adjust it as you go if you need to - turn it up if it’s not brown enough and turn it down if its browning too quickly.

When you think about the range of foods that you cook which could benefit from being browned on the outside and having moisture working on the inside, there are many. It includes foods like meats that tend to easily dry out, layered or dense dishes that can take a long time to cook usually and things that you might usually cook in a pan or under a grill.

This quick and easy recipe is a great example of cooking a layered or dense type of dish using the combination of steam and convection heat. In my experience cooking gratins, bakes, lasagna and other layered dishes this way is often much quicker and the result is soft and moist underneath and bubbling and browned on the top. There is no need to cover with foil during the beginning of the cooking process as we have so often done in our traditional ovens. It’s simpler and the results are better. More fun - less phaff!

So here is a yummy and easy potato & broccoli gratin. It’s a perfect side dish or a great vegetarian dish that could be served with a lovely salad. This recipe also give you a concept that you can adapt for many other dishes that are similar, meaning you can apply the same cooking method we use here for lots of other things you will want to cook.

Ingredients:
1.5kg all rounder potatoes (peeled & sliced around ½ cm thick)
1 head broccoli (cut into small florets)
1 small red onion (halved & sliced into half moons)
½ bunch basil leaves
2 tbs grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 small lemon (zested)
1 tsp chicken or veggie stock powder
300ml thickened cream
½ cup grated tasty cheese (or to your liking)
black pepper
1-2 tbs olive oil

Method:

1. In a large bowl toss together the potatoes, broccoli, onion, basil, parmesan, nutmeg, lemon zest and stock powder. Season well with black pepper.

2. Grease a large flat bottomed baking dish with the olive oil. Spread the potato mixture out into the dish, creating a mostly flat top.

3. Pour over the cream and jiggle the dish so it falls into the cracks.

4. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top.

5. Place the dish onto a rack in the middle of your Combi-Steam. Select Combination Steam (Hot Air+Steaming). (For variable Steam set 40%). Set the temperature to 200°C.

6. Cook for 40 minutes or until potatoes are nice and tender and top is golden brown.*

7. Remove and set aside for 10 minutes to settle before serving.

Notes:
*In variable steam setting ovens you may want to reduce the Steam level to 10% for the final 10-15 minutes of cooking to reduce moisture and increase browning. In a V-ZUG/Wolf if you find you have too much liquid you can actually “turn off” the steam altogether by just pressing or “de-selecting” the steam in the function.

Remember that if you are not achieving the level of browning that you would like in your Combi-Steam, especially towards the end of your cooking time, the best thing to do is to turn up the temperature. In ovens that have variable Steam, when you feel like the dish is still too moist towards the end of the cooking time you can decrease the Steam level.

V-ZUG & Wolf Note:

In a V-ZUG or Wolf Combie-Steam (or Convection Steam) oven you have an automatic option to cook this dish. In Step 5 Select BakeOMatic - Gratin/Baked Dish - Medium Browned. Do not preheat the oven first. Let the oven set the cooking time, temperature and moisture levels for you. It will beep when it’s finished or you can set a delayed start by entering the “End Time” of when you would like to serve. Easy peasey!

I hope you like this one. It’s simple and a real tummy pleaser and something a little bit different to your average potato bake.

Feel free to substitute sweet potato if you prefer but you may want to check it a bit sooner as sweet potato usually cooks faster than regular potatoes.

Happy Combi-Steaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ x