Saturday Lunch At The Lake...Open Face Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

Whether you are camping or lucky enough to have a house on a lake, this is a great Fall recipe to enjoy with your guests. 

We have been keeping a grill down by the dock to enjoy the cooler temperatures and the Fall foliage.  On weekends a few of our neighbors and their guests come down and cook on the grill.  Afterwards, we build a bonfire and enjoy the stars.  All is not perfect, for with nature come those awful little spiders that seem to gravitate only to my feet! Last time I was down there I got bitten not once but twice by those little monsters on the way back to the house.  You know the rest.  Another two weeks of itching and scratching and a swelled and ugly foot. 

Ingredients

Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of peasant bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
 One 1 1/4-pound eggplant, sliced crosswise 1 inch thick
 Salt and freshly ground black pepper
 4 plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
 1/2 pound buffalo mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
 8 large basil leaves, torn
 Coarse sea salt

Directions

1.Light a grill. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and grill over high heat until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a platter.


2.Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat until charred on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill until tender, about 3 minutes longer.

3.Top the eggplant with the tomato, mozzarella and basil. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts, 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the bread, sprinkle with sea salt and serve.


Recipe Food & Wine
Photo Tina Rupp

Ham And Cheese Strata II

I am getting ready to post a brunch menu next week in Lindaraxa's Garden and have been trying to make up my mind as to which of two recipes to try out and post for a cheese strata.  They are both so good I decided to split them up in the two blogs.  Maybe I will do a city and a country brunch!

What I liked about this recipe is that unlike most other strata recipes that are baked in a long rectangular dish this one can be made  in a springform pan and the results are spectacular! 

Keep in mind that the strata takes about 1 1/2 hours to bake and some time to rest so plan ahead the day of the brunch..

The recipe is from the Junior League Cookbook of Boca Raton, Savor the Moment,  which won a James Beard Award.


Ingredients


1 loaf French bread, cubed

1 pound ham, cubed

1 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 green onions, chopped

15 medium eggs

2 egg yolks

4 cups half-and-half

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard


Directions


Combine the bread, ham, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half and mustard in a medium bowl. Pour over the bread mixture and stir until moistened. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or longer.

Stir the mixture and pour into an oiled 10-inch springform pan; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, covering with foil if necessary to prevent overbrowning. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Place on a serving plate, run a knife around it and remove the side of the pan. Cut into wedges and serve. Serves twelve.

If serving on a regular rectangular baking dish,  proceed as above but serve right from the pan after letting cool off.

Basic Italian...Eggplant Parmesan

I agree with my friend Joe of DetroitEats who prefers his Eggplant Parmesan breaded and fried. The crunchy texture, along with the Marinara sauce and Mozzarella cheese melted on top is my idea of this classic dish.

I remember growing up in the NYC area and ordering this when I went to an Italian restaurant.  Now, it's nowhere to be found.  Most Italian restaurants you find these days serve more "elegant or "refined" Italian dishes, what you might call Northern Italian.  If you find eggplant it is usually roasted or grilled, hardly ever fried, unless you order eggplant fritters and that is usually served as an appetizer.

Well, no more, now that Joe has refreshed my memory, this recipe will be reappearing quite often on my dinner table!


Ingredients

1 medium Eggplant peeled and slice into rounds

1 cup flour

1 egg + 1/2 cup milk

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Marinara Sauce (recipe follows)

Mozzarella Cheese


Procedure

Using what is called “Standard Breading Procedure” bread your Eggplant by dredging it first in the flour, then in the egg and milk mixture and finally in the breadcrumb. It is important to make sure your hand is dry when dredging the eggplant in the breadcrumb or you risk the breading coming off due to wet hands.

Fry your eggplant in vegetable oil until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and keep warm in the oven until all the Eggplant has been fried.

To assemble top a fried Eggplant round with a dollop of marinara sauce and some shredded Mozzarella cheese. Place another round on top and repeat until you have 3 layers. Place in a hot oven until the cheese has melted and the Eggplant is hot throughout.


Marinara Sauce

1 can ground tomato (28 oz)

1 table spoon sugar

1 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

fresh basil

Lemon juice


Procedure

Place the first 5 ingredients into a sauce pan and simmer (low) for 45 minutes.

Add some fresh basil. I don’t chop or tear it. I just throw it in stem and all ( I pick them out later). The basil will steep in and flavor your sauce like you couldn't’t imagine. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more.

Pick out the basil and give your sauce a squeeze of lemon. Your done!

Recipe reprinted from Detroiteats.com