The nutrient content in mushroom and leek gratin depends on the ingredients you use. Combining any of seven of the 10 types of mushrooms featured in the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference provides the highest nutrient level in your gratin. The type of cheese you use affects the cholesterol, fat and calorie counts, while the additional ingredients you include help offset any missing or deficient nutrients, textures and flavors in your basic mushroom and leek gratin recipe.
Types of Mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms provide the most niacin at 7.03 mg, while straw mushrooms provide the most protein, 3.83 g. Maitake mushrooms provide 1,123 mg of vitamin D and a little over 52 mg of choline. Shiitake mushrooms give you 20 mg of magnesium, while morels provide 43 mg of calcium and 195 mg of phosphorus. Chanterelle mushrooms provide 506 mg of potassium, and oyster mushrooms provide 48 international units of vitamin A.
Cheese Choices
Traditional mushroom and leek gratin recipes use Gruyere, regular Swiss or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. The recipe created by the illustrious Julia Child in her book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," calls for regular Swiss cheese. The recipe created by the Rev. Joe Tedesco of Mepkin Abbey in Charleston, South Carolina, uses Gruyere, while Professor Daniel J. H. Greenwood's kosher recipe, which appears on his Judaica and Jewish history website, "Ganzeh Galus Guide," uses four beaten eggs instead of cheese. Other cheese options include cheddar and Monterey Jack. Regular Swiss cheese adds the least sodium, 192 mg per 3.5 oz. serving, while Parmesan adds the most, 1,602 mg per serving. Parmesan has the highest protein and lowest cholesterol content per serving of the five choices. It also provides the most calcium, magnesium and phosphorus per serving.
Leeks and Leek Substitutes
Add 3.5 oz. of raw leeks to each serving of your gratin, as close to when the dish is ready to serve as possible, for 33 percent of your daily need for vitamin A, 20 percent of your daily vitamin C, another 6 percent of your calcium needs and 12 percent of your daily iron requirement. Trade those leeks for chives, however, and get 2.5 times the vitamin A, almost five times as much vitamin C, and 33 percent more calcium per 100 g serving.
Additions
Save close to 300 calories and at least 127 mg of cholesterol by switching any heavy cream in your mushroom leek gratin with whole milk or plain yogurt. Use the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference to help you select herbs and spices that please your palate while contributing to the vitamin and mineral content of your gratin. A single Thai chili pepper adds 8,681 international units of vitamin A to your gratin, along with 324 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin.
References
- HealthAliciousNess.com: Nutrition Facts Comparison Tool
- USDA Agricultural Research Service Nutrient Data Laboratory: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"; Julia Child; 2001
- Charleston, South Carolina "Post and Courier"; Pearls of the Earth: Clusters of Oyster Mushrooms a Growing Venture...; Teresa Taylor; February 2011
- Hofstra University School of Law; Passover Pies, Tarts, Quiches, Blintzes, Knishes, Kreplach, Borekas, Calzones, Crepes and Samosas; Daniel J. H. Greenwood
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