Eggplant Custard Gratin
Submitted by sapembie
Eggplant custard gratin with fried eggplant, tomato sauce, basil, and a ricotta-parmesan custard. French-Italian baked side or vegetarian main.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
55 minREADY
75 minA French-Italian baked vegetable gratin where slices of fried eggplant layer with a savory tomato-and-basil sauce and get blanketed by a ricotta-Parmesan custard that puffs and turns golden during the bake. The custard binds everything together, the eggplant brings depth, and the tomato cuts the richness with acidity.
Salting the eggplant before frying is the older but reliable technique. Thirty minutes with salt draws moisture and any residual bitterness out of the slices, which lets them fry to golden tenderness without absorbing buckets of oil. Modern eggplant varieties are less bitter than they used to be, but the salt step still improves frying.
The custard layer is the dish’s signature. Ricotta whisked with eggs, cream, and Parmesan pours over the assembled gratin and bakes into something between a soufflé and a quiche. As it sets, it puffs above the edge of the dish and turns deeply golden on top.
Pro Tips
- Salt the eggplant slices on both sides and let them drain on a tray for the full 30 minutes
- Sponge the salted slices truly dry before frying. Wet eggplant absorbs more oil and steams instead of crisping
- Fry in batches and add fresh oil as needed. Eggplant drinks oil at first, then releases it back as it cooks
- Watch the bake until the custard top is swelled and golden with no soft depression in the middle
Variations
- Substitute crumbled fresh mozzarella or feta for half the ricotta for a different cheese profile
- Add a layer of thinly sliced zucchini between the eggplant for a vegetable mosaic
- Use whole milk in place of cream for a lighter custard
Ingredients
Directions
Sprinkle the eggplant slices on both sides with salt, spread them out on a tray and leave 30 minutes.
Sponge dry with paper towels.
In a large frying pan, pour in olive oil to a depth of ¼ inch and place over medium heat.
Fry the eggplant slices, in batches, in the hot oil until golden and tender at the stem ends, turning once for about 10 minutes.
Add more oil to the pan as needed.
Remove and drain on paper towels Pour off any oil.
Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃) F.
In the same frying pan, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat.
Add onions and cook gently until softened, about ten minutes.
Add garlic, tomatoes and salt to taste.
Increase heat to high.
Toss until moisture from tomatoes evaporates, about 15 minutes.
Set aside.
In a mixing bowl break up ricotta cheese and eggs with a whisk.
Add half of the Parmesan, the cream, salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk to consistency of a pourable cream.
Line a 6-cup gratin dish with half the eggplant slices in a single layer, pressing them in place.
Grind some pepper over them. Tear basil leaves into fragments and scatter over eggplant.
Sprinkle lightly with half the remaining Parmesan and the spread over the tomato mixture.
Arrange the remaining eggplant slices on top in a single layer, pressing firmly in place.
If there are a few extra slices, press them on top. Pour over the cheese-egg mixture and smooth the top.
Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Put into the oven, reduce the heat to 350℉ (180℃) and bake until the custard surface is swelled and golden with no depression in the middle, about 30 minutes.
Serve hot.
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