A recipe from Eric Bernardin the cerebral and creative blogger (and Bordeaux wine expert). He got it from another site that got it from chef Bruno Verjus.Well, I was not about to let this pass untested; after all, they are fiddling with the eggplant, the most revered of our Levantine vegetable!
It is simply roasted eggplant combined with a touch of (really good) dark chocolate and some nut oil. That’s it. Served on a crostini or with some grilled meat or whatever.
The recipe called for baking the eggplant first for an hour then charring it on the grill, which I thought was redundant; I simply grilled it (skin on) the way it is done in the Middle-East, then when it was soft and blackened all over, peeled it and drained it of its bitterness. Next I mixed it with a touch of melted chocolate and a few tablespoons of oil and added a dash of chile pepper.
Result: It was creamy, smooth, with a little smoky flavor and no detectable taste of cocoa. Great to play mystery ingredient with your guests.
I will be making this again. Bravo Bruno.
INGREDIENTS: 2 or 3 servings as an appetizer
- 1 large eggplant (after grilling, the meat would weigh about 170 g. or 7 oz)
- 10 g. of dark chocolate (at 70% or more) (about .4 oz)(about one tablespoon)
- dash of salt
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of nut oil, such as hazelnut, walnut or just a mild olive oil
- dash of cayenne (optional)
METHOD:
- Place the eggplant on the grill or roast (whole) in the oven till soft; run the broiler at the end to blacken it. Peel the eggplant and scoop out the meat; transfer to a sieve and let the juices drain for an hour.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds or less; add to the eggplant along with a dash of salt, cayenne (if desired) and oil. Press through the sieve to remove the seeds and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with chips or pita or as a side to roasted or grilled meats.
Note: I loved it but my daughter did not.
25 Comments
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Like the look of that. What are the fascinating looking purple thingies?
Another unique recipe! Who’d think of mixing eggplant and chocolate!
@ Angel of the North: These are yam chips (store-bought!)
Interesting combo. For that alone I will have to try this. Eggplant + chocolate= 2 fab foods.
Whaaaa? Oh man, gotta love simple recipes with secret ingredients!
I love the unusual addition of chocolate here, nice to know it turned out great!
OMG Joumana! Another amazing recipe. Thank you so much.
What a great way to prepare eggplant! Beautiful.
Je n’aurai jamais pensé au carré de chocolat. Il doit tout changer.
Jusqu’à présent je l’ai utilisé dans le coq au vin et c’est vrai bon.
Ça caviar chocolat doit être délicieux.
A noter.
See soon
This combination of flavors reminded me of a traditional Italian dish of a place near Naples, the Amalfi coast, I published the recipe a few months ago :
http://chiara-lavogliamatta.blogspot.com/2011/04/melanzane-al-cioccolato.html
have a good weekend Joumana, a hug…
I’ve recently discovered how great roasting eggplant is. (And bananas!)
And there’s chocolate in this dip? Amazing. Accounts for the color I imagine in that you don’t taste it at all. Really an unusual recipe, Joumana. I bet nobody would guess at the ingredient list!
Wow Joumana, what a find! I’m very much intrigued by this recipe. Thank you for sharing it!
Well, that went right into my appetizer file! Sounds so bizarre it has to be good. I do love eggplant dips and will give this a try very soon… thanks for the recipe!
I have seen recipes for eggplant and chocolate but didn’t know how it would turn out. I am so surprised you couldn’t taste the chocolate. Gah!
I’ve never heard of this spread before but anything with the smoky flavor of grilled eggplant sounds good to me!
MMmmmm what an luxurious dip! I am for sure making this. I love the touch of cocoa. Love those purple dippers too
Perfect for the Fall.
That dip is marvelous!! looking forward to trying it soon!
Such an interesting recipe! I’m very intrigued!
Un délicieux caviar qui régalera nombre de gourmands….
Sadly, my family does not like eggplant which I find so inexplicable since I love it. This is such an intriguing dip and a wonderful and elegant change from baba ganoush.
I’m pretty sure I’d love this. Chocolate is great in some savory dishes and this is a great idea!
WOW….very clever indeed. Also love your purple potato chips! I’ve had chocolate in many savory dishes and have loved it.
Oh ça c’est curieux ! A essayer !
What an interesting combination.
My mother always adds a bit of grated chocolate to caponata, a sort of SIcilian ratatouille made with fried eggplants – it is a great combination, and you can’t guess the chocolate. I wonder what my chocolate hater (but eggplant lover) partner would make of this..
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