This dish celebrates the wonders of the eggplant in the vegetable kingdom.
Whole-Roasted Eggplant with Sauce from Its Own Juices
This dish celebrates the wonders of the eggplant in the vegetable kingdom.
Ingredients
- 3 young eggplants (no wider than 2.5” in diameter) (left whole)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup good olive oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ clove garlic (finely minced)
Instructions
- Set oven to 300F.
- Take a cake tester or unwind a paper clip.
- Poke small holes through the skin of the eggplant until the tiny holes reach the center of the eggplant.
- Coat the skins of the eggplant lightly with vegetable oil.
- Place them on a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet tray.
- Bake the eggplant slowly for 2-2.5 hours.
- Gently rotating each eggplant every 20 minutes or so to encourage the eggplant to maintain its original shape while cooking through.
- When the eggplants are done cooking and are completely tender.
- Remove them from the oven.
- Very carefully peel away the skins from each eggplant.
- Salt the exterior of each eggplant.
- Place the eggplants and any of their juices in a bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to allow them to steam for an additional 10 minutes and absorb the salt.
- To prepare the sauce, drain off and reserve the liquid from the eggplants.
- Combine the egg yolks with the lemon juice, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, and about 2 Tbsp of the eggplant liquid.
- Whisk until all of the ingredients have combined thoroughly.
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil until you have reached a thick consistency.
- To thin out the sauce to final desired consistency, use the remaining eggplant cooking liquid.
Notes
The heat level can be augmented based on your desired spice level.