French Recipes

Croziflette

A modern Savoyard crozet gratin with cooked lardons, reduced white wine, cream and Reblochon de Savoie AOP.

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Croziflette — shown in a pan
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Yield 1 gratin, 6 portions
Ingredients ↓
Introduction and overview

Croziflette: Savoyard crozet gratin with Reblochon

Croziflette is a modern Savoyard gratin built around crozets and inspired by the logic of tartiflette. The base is not generic pasta: crozets are the small square pasta shapes associated with Savoie, and this pan uses an equal mix of plain wheat and buckwheat versions. Reblochon de Savoie AOP forms the defining molten cheese layer on top.

The sequence controls water and fat. The crozets boil in a large volume of unsalted water, then drain thoroughly to roughly 900 g cooked weight. While they finish, raw lardons and onion cook in a separate pan; the pork reaches at least 71 °C before the gratin goes into the oven. Excess rendered fat is left behind so the cream and cheese, rather than a pool of bacon fat, carry the sauce.

A measured 100 ml of dry Savoyard white wine is reduced by roughly half before cream is added in the baking dish. The hot components and 450 g Reblochon need only 15 minutes at 200 °C to bubble and brown. The wine is cooked, but not assumed alcohol-free. If another melting cheese is used, the result can still be a good crozet gratin, but it should not be described as preserving the same Reblochon-defined identity.

Success points

Success points

  • Boil and drain the crozets. Crozets are tender but still hold their shape; no free water remains after draining.
  • Reduce the wine. About half the initial wine volume remains and lightly coats the onion/lardons.
  • Bake the croziflette. Cream bubbles at the edges and centre, Reblochon is molten, and the top is golden without dried crozets.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Crozets

  • 400 g dry crozets, 200 g plain wheat crozets plus 200 g buckwheat crozets containing wheat — Check label for egg; egg-free crozets are used here. Expected drained cooked weight about 900 g.
  • 4000 ml water, for boiling crozets — Use unsalted water because lardons and Reblochon are already salty; drain completely and exclude water from nutrition.

Gratin

  • 150 g raw lardons, smoked or plain pork lardons — Cook to at least 71 °C before gratinating; expect about 130 g cooked drained lardons. About 10 g rendered fat is discarded; the rest remains with the onion mixture.
  • 150 g yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 100 ml dry Savoyard white wine — Alcohol may remain after cooking.
  • 200 ml full-fat cream, about 35% fat
  • 450 g Reblochon de Savoie AOP, whole edible cheese including clean rind — Halve horizontally for the top; the rind is edible and included.
  • 10 g neutral oil — For starting the onion/lardons; nutrition assumes all remains in the pan mixture.
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Boil and drain the crozets. Bring the listed 4,000 ml water to a rolling boil, add the 400 g dry crozets and cook according to the package timing used here, then drain very thoroughly; target about 900 g cooked, drained crozets. Allow 15 minutes. Temperature: 100 °C. Crozets are tender but still hold their shape; no free water remains after draining. Use clean colander and avoid leaving cooked pasta warm for extended periods.

  2. Prepare the onion and cheese. While the crozets cook, slice the onion and halve the Reblochon horizontally; keep the full edible rind on. Allow 7 minutes. Onion is evenly thin and the cheese is divided into two broad halves. Keep cheese refrigerated until assembly.

  3. Brown the lardons with onion. Cook the lardons and onion in the 10 g oil over medium heat until the onion is soft and the lardons are cooked through to at least 71 °C; leave excess rendered fat behind when transferring the mixture. Use medium heat. Allow concurrent with the final part of crozet cooking. Temperature: 71 °C. Onion is soft and translucent; lardons are lightly browned and every tested piece reaches at least 71 °C. Do not rely on colour alone; verify 71 °C in the lardons.

  4. Reduce the wine. Add the 100 ml dry white wine to the pan and simmer until reduced by roughly half and the sharp raw-wine aroma softens. Use medium-high heat. Allow 5 minutes. About half the initial wine volume remains and lightly coats the onion/lardons. Alcohol may remain after reduction and baking.

  5. Assemble the gratin. Combine the drained crozets, onion-lardon mixture, reduced wine and 200 ml cream in a 30 × 20 cm baking dish; place the two Reblochon halves rind-side up over the surface. Allow 5 minutes. Crozets are evenly coated and the cheese covers much of the top without being buried. Assemble promptly while components are hot.

  6. Bake the croziflette. Bake until bubbling throughout and deeply golden around the cheese. Allow 15 minutes. Temperature: 200 °C. Cream bubbles at the edges and centre, Reblochon is molten, and the top is golden without dried crozets. The gratin is served hot; alcohol may remain despite cooking.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

Practical

Serving, storage and make-ahead

Serve the gratin hot in six portions; a plain green salad is useful alongside but is not included in nutrition.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

Crozets and the onion-lardon mixture can be prepared earlier, cooled promptly and refrigerated at 4 °C or below, then assembled with cream and cheese before baking.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

Keep leftovers at 4 °C or below for up to 2 days. Reheat covered at 180 °C until bubbling, then uncover briefly to re-brown the top.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

If Reblochon de Savoie AOP is unavailable, another melting cheese makes a different crozet gratin. Do not imply that the protected cheese identity is preserved.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size1 of 6 portions
  • Calories685 kcal
  • Carbohydrate50.4 g
  • Protein29.7 g
  • Fat40.6 g
  • Fibre3.8 g
  • Sodium730 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: Milk, Wheat/gluten, Sulphites from white wine, Egg only if present on the crozet package; the specified crozets are assumed egg-free.

Treat lardons as raw pork and cook to at least 71 °C before baking.

Keep dairy and cooked components refrigerated at 4 °C or below if not assembling immediately.

White wine may retain alcohol after reduction and baking.

Closing

Closing

  • Result: A bubbling crozet gratin with molten Reblochon and a concentrated onion-lardon sauce.
  • Decisive technique: Drain crozets thoroughly, cook lardons to 71 °C and reduce the wine before baking.
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