Gratin Coloring Pages

Piping hot and delicious! What kind of food is Gratin?

Gratin is a dish made by mixing macaroni, meat, and vegetables with a sauce, topping it with cheese or breadcrumbs, and baking it in the oven until nicely browned. It is crispy on top, and hot and creamy inside. Eating it in cold weather warms your body right up.

Which country did it start in?

Gratin was born in France, a country with lots of yummy food. Long ago, someone accidentally burned a dish while cooking. When they tried eating it anyway, they realized, "This crispy burned part is delicious!" That is said to be how it started. Isn't it amazing that such a tasty dish came from a mistake?

The secret behind the name Gratin

The name "Gratin" comes from the French words "gratter" and "graté." These words mean "to scrape" or "to scratch." They gave it this name because people used to scrape the delicious crispy bits off the bottom of the pot with a spoon to eat them.

Many different types of Gratin

There are many kinds of Gratin depending on the ingredients inside.

• Macaroni Gratin: The most classic Gratin, made with macaroni and white sauce. It often has shrimp or chicken in it.
• Potato Gratin: A warm, soft Gratin made with potatoes.
• Doria: A dish made by baking sauce and cheese on top of rice. This is also part of the Gratin family.

The key to yumminess! White sauce

The secret to making Gratin delicious is the smooth, white "white sauce (béchamel sauce)." It is made by mixing butter, flour, and milk. This sauce coats all the ingredients and gives it a very comforting taste.

How to Choose Yummy Colors

When you color Gratin, the secret is showing the golden-brown color and the gooey sauce. Let's pick warm, yummy colors!

• Crispy top colors: Use brown, dark brown, and orange for the yummiest parts.
• Cheese colors: Paint the melted cheese with yellow, light orange, and cream.
• White sauce colors: You can leave it white, or add a tiny bit of light yellow or gray for shadows to make it look smooth and creamy.

Color the Ingredients!

Make your picture bright and fun by using lots of colors for the food inside the sauce.

• Shrimp: Use pink or red so it pops out from the white sauce.
• Broccoli: Use green or yellow-green to add nice color.
• Macaroni: Use light yellow or cream.

Tips for Coloring the Baked Top

Let's make the toasted top look just like a real baked Gratin!

• Layer your colors: First, color the whole thing with light yellow. Then, color over it with brown or orange just where it is toasted. The colors will mix and look like real toasted spots!
• Color unevenly: Don't color everything the same. Make some spots dark and some spots light to show the hot, bubbly cheese.

Don't Forget the Dish and the Table!

You can design the Gratin dish any way you like! You can make it look like clear glass or add a cute pattern. Have fun coloring the place mat and table underneath with fun patterns like checks or polka dots!