Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like "rat" and "patootie."

As any of my close friends can attest, I just LOVE the movie Ratatouille! The movie "(rocks) me to my core". Not only is it about cooking, it's about FRENCH cooking and we all know how I just loooooove The French Laundry. So, though I've been in love with this movie forever, I have never made the said "Ratatouille". A "peasant's dish" that is just so good! (Sorry for the misleading post title) I never enjoyed vegetables quite some much before - but maybe it's because this dish is so pretty. Here's some pictures from my first attempt at making the dish which is a combination of smittenkitchen.com's interpretation of the movie's ratatouille and Thomas Keller's (via the new york times) version of the inspiration for the movie, a recipe for Confit Byaldi.

*small note: I left out the star ingredient which is eggplant because I don't particularly like eggplant but I think it's a childhood dislike that I need to get over because this dish was MADE for eggplant and it's not as fantastic without it. It's still good - but the eggplant I think would make it great. Yikes, did I just say eggplant would make something taste great? I must be going crazy...or just plain growing up. :)

I just loved how the mandoline cut vegetables looked in little towers and just had to snap some pictures of them.

Making the Piperade

Laying out the slices of vegetables onto the piperade starting with a strip of alternating vegetables down the center. Man, this part was just fun and beautiful!

Parchment cover just like the movie!

And into the oven then...


And...TADAAAAH!


I tried so hard to make the stacks just like Thomas Keller did in his Ratatouille interview but my ratatouille just wasn't dense enough. But I did my best giving it a little twist of the wrist using tongs and this presentation is what I ended up with.

The best thing aside from this dish tasting fantastic is that it just looks so pretty while you're making it! I had so much fun making this dish and would love to do it again when I have the time. Ofcourse, next time I'll put in the much hated eggplant because afterall - that's what ratatouille was made for, to celebrate the eggplant. Try it out!

What I'm eating now...

Fresh "Joan's Farmer's Market" figs topped with Goat Cheese from Pescadero and a dollop of honey, Mmmmmm! My co-worker Johnny's creation using fresh figs homegrown from another co-worker's (Joan's) backyard. Never thought that coming to work would ever culminate into a culinary experience...who wouldn't want to work here?!