Remember that scene in the Disney movie Ratatouille when the food critic samples the heavenly "Ratatouille"? It is actually Chef Thomas Keller's interpretation of the classic French Riviera recipe, Confit Bayaldi, that is shown in the movie!
No stranger to a Bayaldi - Le Chef used to present this recipe during his cooking competition days. Confit Bayaldi actually looks much more intimidating than it is to make. I surprised myself with how beautifully mine turned out! The colors are bright and vibrant and the fancy rose shape of the vegetables looks almost too pretty to eat! When cooked just right Confit Bayaldi can be the star of a special brunch table or the dish that everyone asks you the recipe for at a dinner party.
This dish is a perfect example of French Riviera cooking. Confit Bayaldi uses simple, fresh ingredients, beautifully displayed to create a dish that is memorable and full of flavor but is also surprisingly healthy.
As always, this dish is best enjoyed when the ingredients are in season (for North America it would be the height of summer). However; you can get away with using ingredients that are not fresh picked from the vine because of the confit cooking method.
Frequently Asked Questions asked about Confit Bayaldi
Several things, according to Le Chef. While the ingredients and cooking style are basically the same, the term "Bayaldi" is more prevalent in Nice and Monaco, while a "Tian" is more common in Provence. A Bayaldi is served in a round dish and presented in a spiral format, while the Tian is more often served in a rectangular dish with the ingredients laid out in rows. 
At the end of the movie, when Remy impresses the food critic, we understand that the critic is enjoying a Ratatouille, when it is actually a Confit Bayaldi! While the ingredients are largely the same, Ratatouille is cooked like a stew while Confit Bayaldi is carefully presented in layers and then confit in the oven.
Very simply - it is a healthier version of what is commonly known as French cuisine. Rooted in the Mediterranean diet , the food of the French Riviera is a mix of Provençal, Italian, Greek, North African and French cuisines. It is inspired by the sun and the Mediterranean sea and features lots of seasonal fruits and vegetables, fish, and olive oil. Preferred cooking methods are oven baked or poached and the iconic ingredients of northern French cuisine, butter and cheese, are seldom used. The most common seasonings are rosemary, thyme, herbes de Provence, as well fresh lemon or orange zest.
Equipment Needed:
An oven Safe dish that you wish to present on the table. We used one of our favorite presentation dishes for this recipe - a copper Mauviel 1830 pan with handles . The pan is quite an investment, but it lasts a life time and cooks the vegetables beautifully. I have also used my 10 inch Le Creuset pie plate for this recipe and it works well too.
A mandoline for slicing very thin, even slices.
An 8 inch stainless steel pastry ring like this one
A heavy bottomed pan for cooking the onions like this dutch oven
Ingredients for a Confit Bayaldi
- 2 medium sized Eggplants
- 2 Medium sized zucchini
- 3 large tomatoes
For the Piperade
- 2 large, white onions
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 large tomato
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 branches of thyme - remove the leaves from the stem
Garnish
- Olive oil
- Niçois olives
- 1 branch of fresh thyme - remove the leaves from the stem
What to serve with Confit Bayaldi:
Confit Bayaldi is delicious to eat on its own as a fancy vegetarian entrée or as a luxurious topping to pasta. If you are serving the dish at a brunch, a simple omelette of cheese and chives would be all that you need to make a full meal.
Confit Bayaldi is also the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish such as my Oven baked Branzino (no need for the vierge sauce) or else a grilled Cod, John Dory or Salmon.
For a special dinner, Confit Bayaldi would be a great side to serve with a rack of lamb.
Invited to a BBQ? A Confit Bayaldi would be a great dish to impress your hosts!
Au plaisir,
Le Chef's Wife
Confit Bayaldi Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: French
- Method: Confit, Oven baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Confit Bayaldi is a beautifully presented French Riviera slow cooked vegetarian dish using the same ingredients as a Ratatouille.
A perfect example of French Riviera cooking - Confit Bayaldi uses simple, fresh ingredients, beautifully displayed to create a dish that is memorable and full of flavor but is also surprisingly healthy.
The colors are beautiful and vibrant and the fancy rose shape of the vegetables looks almost too pretty to eat! When cooked just right Confit Bayaldi can be the star of a special brunch table or the dish that everyone asks you the recipe for at a dinner party.
Ingredients
Ingredients for a Bayaldi
- 2 medium sized Eggplants, very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)
- 2 Medium sized zucchini very thinly sliced
- 3 large tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise and very thinly sliced
For the Piperade ( a mix of onions, peppers and tomatoes that makes a delicious base for the Bayaldi)
- 2 large, white onions, cut in half lengthwise and very thinly sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, seeds and core removed, cut in half lengthwise and very thinly sliced
- 1 large tomato, seeds and core removed, halved and thinly sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 branches of thyme - remove the leaves from the stem
- pinch of salt
Garnish
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 tbsp Niçois olives, pitted
- 1 branch of fresh thyme - remove the leaves from the stem
- Pinch of sel de camargue
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
First, let's make the Piperade, the base of the Bayaldi.
In a large, heavy bottomed pan (like a dutch oven), heat 2 tbsps of olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions and the thyme leaves. Sautée for about 5 minutes. Pour 3 tbsps of water into the pan to deglaze the onions and then sautée for another 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.
Add in the red pepper as well as the garlic, tomato, tomato paste and the pinch of salt. Sautée for another 10 minutes.
Spoon the Piperade in the the base of a round, oven safe dish. We used our round, 10 inch Mauviel pan but you can absolutely use a 10 inch pie plate or a cast iron pan for this recipe. First step done!
Now here is where the artistry comes in. It is time to make the beautiful rose shape that characterizes this dish.
I highly recommend using an 8 inch pasty circle to achieve the look in the photo. If you don't have a pastry circle you will still end up with a beautiful presentation , but your vegetables will lay flat as opposed to having them propped up like the leaves of a rose.
Place your Pastry circle in the center of your dish. Skin side up, gently place the half eggplant slices all around the inside of the pastry circle, overlapping each slice with the other by about 50% until you make one full circle. This requires patience, I know, but the end result is worth it!
Follow by one circle of zucchini slices (same - overlap each slice by 50%). The next ring is Eggplant again, moving inward with each ring.
How to create the shape of the Bayaldi
Now, add one ring of tomato slices, keeping the same overlap ratio. Follow by one ring of zucchini then one ring of eggplant.
By now you should be close to the center of the dish. Create the center of the rose using just tomatoes. Overlapping with the same ratio and making smaller and smaller rings of tomatoes until you reach the center.
Once the rose is complete, garnish with 2 tbsp of olive oil over the dish, then add the remaining thyme leaves and sprinkle a little salt.
Leaving the pastry circle in the dish, cook uncovered in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
If you have any vegetables remaining, you can make Ratatouille while your Bayaldi is cooking! (heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium low heat and add the leftover eggplant, peppers, onions and zucchini. Season with a little sea salt, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf and a sprig of rosemary. Allow to slow cook for 30 minutes. Voilà! Ratatouille!)
After 1 hour and 10 minutes, remove the Bayaldi from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes. Very carefully remove the pastry circle, pulling it straight up to not destroy the shape of your Bayaldi. (Remember to use oven mitts or a dish towel - the pastry circle will be hot!) Sprinkle the Bayadi with the Nicois olives and add a final pinch of Sel de camargue for good measure.
Serve with a large serving spoon. The vegetables will be melty and delicious with the carmelized onions adding a wonderful complexity to the dish. 
Notes
Equipment needed:
1) a Mandoline for getting really thin slices of eggplant or zucchini (not necessary but makes for a more regular slice size)
2) A 6 inch stainless steel pastry circle with a high side like this one
I highly recommend using a 6 inch pasty circle to achieve the look in the photo. If you don't have a pastry circle you will still end up with a beautiful presentation , but your vegetables will lay flat as opposed to having them propped up like a rose.
If you have any vegetables remaining, you can make Ratatouille while your Bayaldi is cooking! (heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium low heat and add the leftover eggplant, peppers, onions and zucchini. Season with a little sea salt, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf and a sprig of rosemary. Allow to slow cook for 30 minutes. Voilà! Ratatouille!)
Sarah Diligenti says
It looks (from the photos) that you first layered the caramelized onions (not the piperade), the did the bayaldi slices with the pastry ring, then poured the piperade outside of the pastry ring. Could you confirm, please?
lechefswife says
Bien vu! To be honest when we were making the recipe and taking photos we first caramelized just the onions and thyme and then added the tomatoes and peppers and garlic in a second layer around the sides. When I was writing the recipe we decided to further simplify the recipe to make it less complicated. Both versions would work equally well!
Suzanne says
You might want to add clarifications as to what Piperade is...,otherwise, it sll sounds delicious!
lechefswife says
Good idea! Thank you!