Two weeks ago, I bought a beautiful eggplant from the Saturday downtown Farmers' Market and made eggplant Parm with it. The eggplant was so lovely and fresh with not a hint of bitterness, I bought another this week and some fresh ricotta from Whole Foods and made this. It is luscious! The ricotta mixture makes a sort of custard layer over the top. I used some homemade marinara I had left from the Eggplant Parmigiana I made the week before and only used one dish rather than individual ones.
Eggplant Gratin
Serves 4
Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris
The first time my husband took me to Paris we splurged on a restaurant called Le Coupe-Chou. Jeffrey had a delicious eggplant gratin, which he's been asking me to make ever since. This version of that dish was inspired by Richard Olney in his wonderful book Simple French Food.
Good olive oil, for frying
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good bottled marinara sauce, such as Rao's
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Heat about 1/8 inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat it, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
In each of four individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt, and pepper and spoon on 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, one quarter of the ricotta mixture, and finally a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.
Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes; lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.
If you don't have small gratin dishes, layer the eggplant slices and other ingredients in one large shallow dish and bake until hot and bubbly.
Eggplant Gratin
Serves 4
Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris
The first time my husband took me to Paris we splurged on a restaurant called Le Coupe-Chou. Jeffrey had a delicious eggplant gratin, which he's been asking me to make ever since. This version of that dish was inspired by Richard Olney in his wonderful book Simple French Food.
Good olive oil, for frying
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good bottled marinara sauce, such as Rao's
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Heat about 1/8 inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat it, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
In each of four individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt, and pepper and spoon on 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, one quarter of the ricotta mixture, and finally a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.
Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes; lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.
If you don't have small gratin dishes, layer the eggplant slices and other ingredients in one large shallow dish and bake until hot and bubbly.
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