Roasted Eggplant and Oysters
Ingredients
2 eggplants, firm
4 cups onion, 1/2 inch dice
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup bacon, 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup plus 4 heaping teaspoons Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pints shucked oysters (about 2 1/2 dozen medium-sized oysters), drained
Directions
Critique
Chef: little burnt on top broth picked up the flavor of the oyster, good texture.
Personal/Team: It seemed that most people either didn't like eggplant or oysters in general, so it wasn't a big hit, but I loved it. I thought the texture of the roasted eggplant was nice and the flavor was rich. The combination of the oyster and eggplant went well together.
Lessons Learned: you can roast eggplant hole, but be sure to put poke holes in it so it doesn't explode. Also, with a breadcrumb topping, you want to brown, but not burn, so keep an cloe eye on it, should not cook too long.
2 eggplants, firm
4 cups onion, 1/2 inch dice
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup bacon, 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup plus 4 heaping teaspoons Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pints shucked oysters (about 2 1/2 dozen medium-sized oysters), drained
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Pierce the eggplants several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake eggplants 30 minutes or until very tender. Test with a skewer to see if the center is done. Remove from oven and cool. Keep oven hot.
- Saute the onion in 1/4 cup of the butter until glazed, but not brown.
- In another small skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on several layers of paper towels.
- With a sharp knife, cut off the stem ends of the eggplants and peel them carefully. Discard the skin and place the pulp of the eggplants in a colander to drain. Chop into 3/4 inch cubes and combine with the sauteed onion..
- Crumble the bacon into the mixture, then add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, the salt, pepper, and oysters.
- melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan.
- Divide the eggplant pulp and oyster mixture into 4 equal portions and place in individual ramekins. Pour melted butter over each portion Sprinle each evnely with remaining bread crumbs.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the mixture bubbles vigorously around the edges and the top is well browned.
Critique
Chef: little burnt on top broth picked up the flavor of the oyster, good texture.
Personal/Team: It seemed that most people either didn't like eggplant or oysters in general, so it wasn't a big hit, but I loved it. I thought the texture of the roasted eggplant was nice and the flavor was rich. The combination of the oyster and eggplant went well together.
Lessons Learned: you can roast eggplant hole, but be sure to put poke holes in it so it doesn't explode. Also, with a breadcrumb topping, you want to brown, but not burn, so keep an cloe eye on it, should not cook too long.