I have discovered a few vegetables that are grown locally in Aruba and eggplant is one of them. I usually make the same old eggplant parmesan but decided to go outside my comfort zone and do something a little different. Greg was a bit "thrown off" by the word custard because he immediately thought of ice cream. I think I convinced him otherwise. I adapted this from Amanda Hesser's "The Essential New York Times Cookbook".
1/2 c. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
Salt
2 large peppers, one red and one yellow, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 large diced yellow tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
White pepper
3 lbs. eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 tbl. water
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat 3 tbls. olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Add a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and cook until peppers are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and water while the mixture simmers until thick and jammy (I like that word). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile brush the eggplant on each side with olive oil and place on baking sheets. Bake, turning after about 15 minutes until the eggplant is lightly brown, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature down to 375 degrees.
Mix the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, cream and salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Add the basil to the sauce as it simmers.
Oil a large gratin dish with olive oil and make a layer of eggplant, then half of the tomato sauce;repeat. Top with the custard mixture and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the custard is set and the top is nicely browned.
Comments
Post a Comment