Eggplants with chèvre – a delicious appetizer

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

olive oil

a generous 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes

fleur de sel

2 tbsp aceto balsamico

1/2 pound chèvre or buffalo mozzarella

a handful of basil leaves, plucked into small pieces

Preparation:

Cut eggplants in slices, about 1/3 of an inch, brush generously with olive oil.

Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake them on both sides for about 10 minutes at 400 F until a golden crust forms. Let them cool on a paper towel.

Cut cherry tomatoes in halves, place them into a heat resistant  dish, drizzle generously with olive oil and bake for 60 minutes at 200 F.

Sprinkle with fleur de sel and the aceto balsamico, roast for another 60 minutes in oven, let them cool.

Place one eggplant slice on 4 individual plates. Add tomates. Cut chèvre or bufflao mozzarella in slices and individually place on top of eggplant. Add basil leaves, fleur de sel and pepper from the mill. Sprinkle with a little olive oil. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Serve at room temperature.

STEVE'S FABULOUS DUCK BREASTS

Once again, I had the privilege of having been served a wonderful home-cooked meal prepared by our friend Steve in the cozy Silverlake cottage-style house he shares with his wife Danielle. Steve impressed me with the most amazing duck breast I had in a long time. Marinated in a herb-infused blood orange 'bath' and cooked to perfection, it was a very happy experience for my palate. And how refreshing to find, for once, something different than beef or chicken on my plate!


That's how he prepared the duck breasts (for 4 people):

Trim 4 breasts and place, skin side up, in a dish. Squeeze 
the juice of three or four blood oranges over them so the the meat underneath is immersed. Then zest the oranges over the  breasts, and sprinkle with a few fresh thyme leaves, and some chopped fresh rosemary. Let sit in the fridge for a few hours.

Spark up your grill. Drain the marinade. Season both sides with good-quality sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper (especially the skin). When the coals are red but not too hot, place the breasts, with the skin side down on the grill. Let the skin brown and crisp up, but try not to get them too close to the heat -- you don't want them to blacken. Don't be afraid to move the breasts around, since there's a lot of fat in the skin that will cause the flames to leap up.

Cook about 6-7 minutes on both sides. Remove and let rest for at least five minutes.

Steve served the duck breasts with vegetables braised in olive oil. 


Thanks for sharing, Steve!