Aubergine (or as the majority of the world know it- ‘eggplant’) is a member of the deadly nightshade family- DEADLY! Yes some people agree, the slimy texture of this fleshy crop really is something they’d really consider ‘deadly disgusting’! But I on the other hand, absolutely LOVE this edible meaty plant.
It follows a similar pattern to that of Marmite- a salty yeast extract consumed by many in the UK spread on thick, buttery toast (similar to that of Vegemite but much more syrup-like in texture) that is either loved or hated- yes, it’s that black and white, no grey matter here!- by everyone who is exposed to it.

In China, it is a common side dish and is eaten in abundance by everyone, including myself. In fact, aubergine is cooked in so many different styles that I was spoilt for choice with inspiration for this week’s theme so I chose to go three ways! It’s not so much my recipes in particular that are typically Chinese, but rather some of the techniques and accompaniments that go with the latter for this week’s aubergine theme.

So my recipe(s) for the week: Aubergine caviar wrapped in aubergine skins with an orange sesame caramel; Aubergine bread pudding; Aubergine millefeuille with a cashew nut pesto.

Aubergine Caviar wrapped in aubergine skins with orange sesame caramel

Julienne 2 aubergines (keep ¾ aside for the bread pudding dish) and pan fry in some oil the extremely thin slices until translucent with a slightly brown hue and keep aside.

In an oven set at 200C, place 1 aubergine cut in half lengthways, sprinkled with crushed garlic, salt and olive oil and bake for 30 minutes. When cooked, using a fork, scrape out the insides and mash with the juice of 1 lemon. When cooled, a spoonful can be placed inside a pan-fried aubergine slice and rolled up- done.

For the caramel, heat 3 tbsp water with 100g sugar and leave to become a sticky, golden brown syrup. Once achieved, add the juice from 4 large oranges (sieved to prevent the addition of ‘bits’)- the sugar will suddenly crystalise into a big solid straw-like mess (quite fun to watch actually!), but will dissolve when the orange juice starts to heat. This will become a runny caramel so for textural preference, I added a pinch of corn flour to get a more gloopy caramel. For the final step add 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and the first component is ready to be plated.

Aubergine millefeuille with a cashew nut pesto

In an oven at 200C, roast an aubergine that has been sliced into discs with a light coating of oil for 20 minutes. Whilst baking, steam a sweet potato, cut into chunks for 15 minutes and leave aside. Next, lightly fry some tofu chunks (I used a salted firm tofu and a silken tofu for variety) to attain a crispy perimeter.

For the pesto, blend together a generous handful or two of fresh basil, olive oil, salt, 1 raw garlic clove and 130g cashew nuts.
Now each ingredient can be layered numerous times on top of one another into what is deemed an appropriately sized tower and is ready to be devoured by the mouthful!

Aubergine bread pudding

Soak 8 slices of roughly torn bread in milk and leave to absorb the liquid. Make a roux using 50g butter, 50g flour and 450ml milk. Season with rosemary, crushed garlic and salt and pepper and slowly stir in the soaked bread, draining away any excess milk. Fold into this 1 egg and place in small ramekins which have been lined with the aubergine slices that were previously pan-fried, allowing them to hang over the edges so that they can be folded over to cover the bread mixture. Bake in the oven at 180C for 30 minutes and plate immediately (otherwise they will start to shrink during cooling).

Thanks again to @progressivechef for enabling me to push the boundaries, this time in the world or aubergine and to everyone who has taken the time to view this post :-)

I would also like to take this moment to say that it was my birthday yesterday so when I cooked I made it an aubergine dinner-birthday-party! And I definitely think everyone has had their fair share of aubergine for the week, at the very least!