Roasted Tomato & Eggplant Mille-Feuille
Eggplant is to berries as Superman is to Clark Kent. Catch my drift?
Eggplants are, in fact, berries. Much like tomatoes are technically fruits. So should I categorize this dish under “Vegetables” or “Desserts”? What’s a girl to do??? I’ve known for quite some time now about the secret identity of tomatoes but this eggplant factoid is breaking news to me.
Ever since our Moroccan brunch at Café Mogador the other day, I’ve been craving for more eggplant. This atypical brunch comprised of babaganoush, poached eggs with haloumi cheese, and a roasted eggplant with tahini. Everything was absolutely delicious but the perfectly plump and roasted eggplant really struck a nerve.
The simplicity of the preparation inspired me to quickly recreate our very own version. I think the addition of the salty halloumi cheese really compliments the mille feuille of roasted eggplant and tomato. And since I’ve decided to pair this “fruit” dish with grilled sardines instead of a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I guess we’ll categorize this one under “Vegetables”.
Ingredients:
| 1 | large eggplant, sliced in thin circular rounds |
| 1 | large beefsteak tomato, sliced in thin circular rounds |
| 1/2 | lb. block halloumi cheese, sliced in 4 pieces |
| 1 | clove garlic, minced |
| 4 | Tbsp olive oil |
| 2 | tsp balsamic vinegar |
| salt & pepper | |
| fresh basil for garnish |
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil mixture and place in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet. Line tomato slices in another non-stick baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
- To serve, place one slice of halloumi on a plate and top with alternating layers of eggplant then tomato. Garnish with a basil leaf. Serves 4 people.
February 16th, 2010 at 17:00
yey First!!! Beautiful pictures, I really liked how you sliced the eggplant and then staggered them the way you did, so creative
I am also a huge fan of halloumi cheese, what a wonderful vegetarian dish!
February 16th, 2010 at 21:38
I love Cafe Mogador! Thank Pierre for introducing me to it. This sounds so good!
February 16th, 2010 at 22:37
I don’t think I’ve ever tasted eggplant. I’m obviously uncultured! But I always get the most delight out of your photos. And as expected, they are lovely…
February 16th, 2010 at 23:10
Beautiful recipe and photos. I’ll bookmark this for summer when the garden is full of fresh eggplant and tomatoes.
Mimi
February 16th, 2010 at 23:48
I’ve never liked eggplants growing up but now that I haven’t tried it in YEARS and this recipe looks so scrumptious, I’m going to go buy some eggplants and make this.
February 17th, 2010 at 06:32
Your recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing
February 17th, 2010 at 07:54
i had no idea eggplants were considered berries. super berries, indeed! i love stacked foods and this dish is elegant and entirely fantastic.
February 17th, 2010 at 08:55
They’are awesome. Love the presentation and the simplicity of this dish.
February 17th, 2010 at 10:23
Beautiful presentation, like the Ratatouille movie
February 17th, 2010 at 12:06
For the past week now I’ve been taking snapshots of my eggplants and I can’t seem to capture the “look” that I want from it…but here you are showing me how artsy your eggplant look like… This post will make my upcoming posts: ensaladang talong(filipino eggplant salad) and tortang talong (eggplant omelette) look lame hahahah!
you’re very creative dhale! i just love the way you come up with refreshing ideas!!!
February 17th, 2010 at 17:53
Oooh, I love what you’ve done with this. Isn’t haloumi the most awesome cheese? And that photo of the stacked sliced eggplant!!! That is going on your food calendar I hope??
February 17th, 2010 at 20:52
I agree with everyone else – the stacked eggplants are AWESOME! And, as always, your photography is beautiful. I’m really wanting to try halloumi now!
February 18th, 2010 at 01:48
I’ve been taking snapshots of my eggplants all week long but I couldn’t get the “look” that I want… and here you are showing me how… My upcoming posts (my take on traditional filipino eggplant dishes) will look lame haha!
I love eggplants and the addition of halloumi cheese is just awesome!
February 18th, 2010 at 02:57
mmm…anything with halloumi cheese piques my interest, even if it is with vegetables (or fruit masquerading as vegetables!)
There are so many sneaky foods out there pretending to be other things (peanuts!) Did you know pink peppercorns are actually a type of berry?
ps: love the stacked eggplant slices! So pretty!
February 18th, 2010 at 09:36
@Joy: Our internet is finally back!!! Anywaaaay…
Thank you! Glad you like my stacked eggplants. Kinda’ reminds me of Jenga
February 18th, 2010 at 09:38
@Malisa: We love it there too! I relayed your message to Pierre and he said you’re welcome! That was such a fun evening… was that the last time PnP were all together?!?! So sad. Hope we can make it happen again soon
February 18th, 2010 at 09:40
@Lindsay: Really?!?! You should definitely try it. It’s one of my favorite… berries?!?! lol
Thanks Lindsay!
February 18th, 2010 at 09:40
@Mimi: Thanks Mimi! You have a vegetable garden??? How cool is that! I hope to have one some day
February 18th, 2010 at 09:42
@Sook: Eggplants are tough to like… they have such a mushy texture. But I love it! Let me know when you try it out. Hopefully I can switch your vote
February 18th, 2010 at 09:45
@Karine: Thank you very much! I enjoy sharing my kitchen messes and successes with you guys
February 18th, 2010 at 09:46
@Grace: They’re the biggest berries I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure! Thanks Grace!
February 18th, 2010 at 09:47
@Divina: Simple dishes are so awesome because it takes no time to whip them up. And all you have to do is present them nicely and everyone will think you spent all day slaving over a hot stove
Thanks D!
February 18th, 2010 at 09:49
@Cellar Tours: I love Ratatouille so it’s such a great compliment to be mentioned in the same sentence as the movie
I think I may just watch it all over again!
February 18th, 2010 at 09:56
@Tasty Trix: I love haloumi! It’s fun to be able to grill cheese that won’t melt. It reminds me of a cheese we once had in Peru and maybe it was haloumi? But Café Mogador was actually the first time I’ve tried haloumi officially (at least to my knowledge). We have another block of it in our fridge right now
I never thought of coming up with my food calendar. Wonderful idea! I may just incorporate that as homemade holiday gifts for next year! Thanks
February 18th, 2010 at 09:58
@Jen: Thank you so much! Glad you like my Jenga eggplants
I bought the haloumi at Whole Foods so if you have one nearby, they should have it there. Hopefully you’ll give it a try soon. It’s a nice, firm cheese with lots of salty goodness.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:01
@Malou: Ooooo did you make tortang talong? I LOVE that dish! With Jufran, of course
Glad you could take some ideas on how to photograph eggplants (maybe for another eggplant post?). They’re a bit tricky because the skin is so shiny and it tends to reflect your light source too much. Can’t wait to read about your eggplant dishes! I still have another one in the fridge so maybe I’ll use one of your recipes!
February 18th, 2010 at 10:03
@Erika: Pink peppercorns are berries too?! Sneaky sneaky. Maybe we can compile a list of fruits and vegetables with their secret identities? lol
You may have sparked an idea for a future blog entry of mine…
Thanks Erika!