How to Make Ratatouille, Movie Style

I am a professional Chef and wanted to share one of my favorite dishes with everyone.  This is my first post here and I hope you like it!

The dish is Ratatouille, a simple rustic French dish.  However I will show you how to make it the way it was made in the Disney movie Ratatouille. Below is a picture of the dish as seen in the movie.


First though a bit of history on the dish.   Ratatouille is a basic vegetable dish, which is traditionally served as a stew.  However during his career renowned French Chef Michel Guerard created a variation called Confit-byaldi.  The exact date of creation is not known but is believed he pioneered the variation of the dish sometime in the 1960s.

This is the dish we see served in the movie by everyone's favorite rat.

To begin you will need the following ingredients:

1 Medium sized eggplant
2 medium sized zucchini/courgettes (one yellow, one green) or if yellow is not available, 1 green zucchini
1 large, very ripe hot-house tomato
1 medium yellow onion
1 carrot
1 stalks celery
2 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon of dried leaves.
fennel seeds
butter
tomato paste
1/2 cup vegetable stock (may not use all of it)
1/4 cup white wine

The following equipment is required: food processor, or immersion blender
Helpful but not mandatory; mandolin

Directions:

1. First we will make the confit base, to begin take the carrot, 1 clove of garlic, half of the onion, the celery stalk and one teaspoon of tomato paste and puree them in your food processor, cut them into smaller chunks first.  Season with thyme salt and pepper.  Reserve for later.  Also finely dice the other half of the onion and save for later.

2. Cut the tomato, eggplant, zucchini(s) 1/8th inch thick rounds.  I used a knife but you can use a mandolin or slicer attachment on your food processor (cleaned) to make it easier if your knife skills are not the best. 

3. Spread the puree mixture in the bottom of a heavy pan and layer the vegetables as shown below



4. Add just enough vegetable stock that it barely touches the bottom of the vegetables.  Check on this while it cooks to ensure it does not dry up.

5. Cook at 350 F fan on for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy

6. To present the cooked dish , very gently with a spatula remove the vegetables and set them in a warm area (on top the stove works).  

7. Remove the confit puree from the pan.  Place pan on high heat on stove until it starts to smoke.  Hold the wine in one hand and take a spoonful of the confit puree in the other.  Simultaneously add these to the hot pan; do not lean over the pan the wine may ignite. Turn the heat down to medium- low add any remaining vegetable stock.  Add onions, garlic clove, and salt/pepper as needed.  Simmer until reduced by half.

8. Strain this liquid and reserve.  This is your pan sauce.

9. The other vegetables should be warm, but cool enough to hand by hand. To serve them, carefully line the vegetables into a ring mold start on the outside and slowly work your way in until it packed with vegetables.  Be careful and take your time you want to ensure your work in arranging them is maintained when they are in the mold.

Next place the mold on the plate you wish to serve the Ratatouille on and and carefully remove the ring.  Place a few more vegetables on top to cover the hole in the middle.

Drizzle the pan sauce from earlier around the plate and serve.

Alternatively serve with meat as I've shown here

If you have any questions let me know and I'll help as best I can :)

Sorry for the lack of step-by-step photos for the recipe.  I actually took these photos a while ago and was not expecting to create a full-fledged recipe/guide from them.  My next post will be more detailed.

Thanks and Bon Appetit! 

-TheChefinator