Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Gratin

Name: Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Gratin
Yield: serves 6 to 8 as a main course
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds small globe eggplants, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices; 3 tablespoons olive oil; Salt, for sprinkling, plus 1/2 teaspoon; 2 red bell peppers; 3 medium tomatoes; 1 head garlic; 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves; 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence (optional); Pinch of sugar; Pinch of freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup toasted bread crumbs; 3 tablespoons almond meal; 12 ounces fresh goat cheese, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup oil-cured olives, pitted and halved; 1/2 cup fresh whole flat-leaf parsley leaves; 2 large eggs; 1 1/2 cups Greek goat’s milk yogurt; 2 small pinches saffron threads, soaked in a few tablespoons hot water

January 24, 2012

This recipe is adapted from a recipe my friend Deborah Madison shared in her book, Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen. It is absolutely gorgeous! Purple eggplant, red peppers, and golden saffron custard are a beautiful combination. Eggplant and red peppers are the perfect ingredients to cook in a wood-fired oven, as they both take on the wonderful smokiness of the fire. In this recipe, the eggplant is lightly sautéed in a skillet in the oven. The red peppers, tomatoes, and garlic are roasted whole, directly on the floor of the oven or in the embers, until the skins are blistered and beautifully charred. When cooled, they are skinned and seeded. Peppers roasted this way have a more complex flavor than when blackened on the stove top.

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