Laura the Gastronaut > Julia Child > Entrees and Luncheon Dishes > Gratin of Leeks with Ham

Gratin of Leeks with Ham

November 17, 2020 | Updated August 29, 2023 | Laura

✽ Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I | Julia Child ✽

Julia Child Recipe 156 | 372 recipes to go!

✽ Gratin of Leeks with Ham [Gratin de Poireaux], p. 155

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✽ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.

✽ You can buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I which contains these recipes here. (affiliate link)

The purpose of this Julia Child section of my blog is to document my journey of learning how to cook. To show my successes, my failures, and what I learned along the way.

Since I didn't create these recipes (if only!), I do not post exact amounts of ingredients or word-for-word instructions. If any of these recipes spark your interest, I highly recommend you buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link). It's a great investment and learning tool and contains hundreds of classic recipes.

I hope that you enjoy reading my thoughts, learn something new, and leave inspired to try a new recipe. Bon appétit!

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✽ Butter Count: +5 TB

✽ Cost: $14.76 [~$3.69 per serving]

Check out the total Julia Child butter count & cost here!

→ Looking for a different Julia Child recipe? Here's a list of all of the completed and pending Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipes!

I was completely 100% blindsided by this recipe.

The previous recipes that contained leeks were not my favorite thing. As a huge onion lover, I almost always found myself wishing the leeks were replaced with an onion. So naturally going into this recipe I was not excited. In fact, I had to build up motivation just to make it. I was so close to talking myself out of it. But then it happened- Julia did it again.

✽ Laura's Rating: 8

✽ Brian's Rating: 8

If I did half ratings, I would probably give it an 8.5. This gratin is so delicious. Talk about one of those recipes that just seems to come out of nowhere, and when it shows up it steals the show. Thanks again Julia for providing us an unexpectedly good lunch, reminding me that you can’t judge a recipe by its title, and giving me a new found love for leeks.

Looking for more Julia Child lunch recipes to read about?

→ Check out all of the entree and luncheon dish recipes that I've completed so far!

✽ Step 1: Boil Leeks

The recipe starts by stewing the whites of the leeks with salt, butter, and water until most of the liquid is evaporated.

They will become tender and mine became slightly browned.

✽ Step 2: Wrap Leeks In Ham

The leeks are then wrapped in thin slices of cooked ham. Are you supposed to freshly cut slices of ham? Probably. Did I use store brand lunchmeat? Yes. Did it still taste amazing? Absolutely. I am curious if Julia would’ve thought lunchmeat was acceptable. Technically, it is thin sliced cooked ham. Maybe she actually meant to use something like lunchmeat?

✽ Step 3: Cover in Sauce & Bake

Anyways, now the ham-wrapped leeks are covered in a sauce. You can use an egg and cream mixture, a white sauce, or a cheese sauce. I opted for the cheese sauce [sauce mornay], and I highly suggest you do too.

I think it was the Swiss cheese in the sauce that brought all these flavors together, and I do not think I would’ve enjoyed it as much without the cheese.

The leeks are then baked for 30-40 minutes until it’s slightly browned on the top.

I will say that it looks a little funny when coming out of the oven because the sauce forms a skin over the top. Don’t let that turn you off! Once you dip your serving spoon into it, it will go away. You’ll be left with pure deliciousness.

*This blog, Laura the Gastronaut, and this post were/are not endorsed or supported by Julia Child or The Julia Child Foundation.

Category: Julia Child, Entree & Luncheon Dishes Cuisine: French
Keywords: julia child leek gratin recipe, gratin of leeks recipe, french gratin recipes

✽ Did you make this recipe too?
→ Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.

More Brunch/Lunch Recipes:

✽ Gratin of Potatoes, Onions, and Anchovies (a delicious gratin full of savory flavor)
✽ Gratin aux Fruits de Mer (gratin made with creamed salmon)
✽ Rapee Morvandelle (one of my favorite Julia Child recipes)
→ Check out all of the completed Julia Child entree & luncheon dish recipes!

✽ You can find this recipe and all the other Julia Child recipes I make in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I (affiliate link). Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.

✽ Check out my Julia Child Recipe Checklist to see a list of all my completed and pending recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking!

Bon appétit!

November 17, 2020 by Laura Ehlers

*This Gratin of Leeks with Ham blog post may contain Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.