Crispy Eggplant with Sweet Corn #CooktheBooks

Our Cook the Books Club August/September Selection was the memoir "Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook" by Alice Waters.

Cook the Books Club is a bimonthly book club/blog event that focuses on a different foodie book each round. We review each book and cook a dish inspired by the book in our blog posts or on instagram.  The host for each month then shares all of the recipes with a link back to our blog posts at the end of the month.

This month's selection was chosen by Claudia of Honey from Rock.  I don't know what I expected from this memoir.  Alice is only a little older than I, but that age difference made a huge impact on how we saw the world as we were growing up.  I was too young to understand the civil rights movement,  the Viet Nam protests, and the women's rights movement.

I was aware of them but probably in the same way that my granddaughter is aware of the current issues that we are facing in today's world.  I did reap the benefits of all those movements and I'm very grateful to all those who fought, struggled, and died to give me the rights that I enjoyed and that I pray my grandchildren will continue to enjoy.

Alice learned of many of these things by visiting Europe, specifically France, where they had fought against tyranny and fascism many years before the USA, as we are such a young country.  

I loved Alice's vision for her restaurant, based on those cafe's she visited in France.  During those visits she learned about buying and eating locally.  She fell in love with food and the emotions derived from eating beautiful, fresh ingredients made with love, in a delightful, homey atmosphere with friends and strangers who are soon friends.  It is the exact vision that I dreamt of having a restaurant or B&B of my own.   

I went to pick up farm-fresh eggs from my friend, Jean.  As I was leaving, she handed me a beautiful eggplant, saying that her harvest is abundant.  I gladly accepted this lovely, generous gift.  On the way home, I stopped by another farm stand and picked up some fresh ears of sweet corn.  There is nothing better than Michigan Sweet Corn!

I placed these items on my counter with some fresh mint from my garden and thought about Alice writing that she would change up her menu to reflect whatever fresh, beautiful food she had in front of her, which inspired me to create this delicious dish.

I had originally thought to make it into a salad and serve it as a first course to our daughter, her husband, and Frank's sister when they came for dinner.  Then dinner became a more casual affair, so I placed it all onto a platter and served it as a side dish.  It was so delicious that I could have served it as the entree, and everyone would have been happy.

Vegetable Sides, Salads, First Course, Eggplant, Corn,

Vegetables

American

Yield: 8 Side Dish Servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Crispy Eggplant with Sweet Corn

Eggplant breaded in seasoned panko and roasted until crispy brown on the outside and tender on the inside, topped with sauteed sweet corn, sprinkled with feta cheese, and garnished with fresh mint.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

• 1 c. seasoned Panko breadcrumbs (I used Parmesan Herb)
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• kernels from 4-5 ears, fresh sweet corn
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced into rounds about 1/2" thick
• 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• crumbled feta cheese for sprinkling
• handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the oil with salt and pepper.
2. Place half of the seasoned oil to a bag that seals. Add the breadcrumbs and toss until coated. Set aside.
3. Place the eggplant slices onto a baking pan that has been lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Brush on both sides with the remaining oil, then brush the tops of each with mayonnaise.
4. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the mayonnaise and bake in a preheated 400* oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown, crispy, and the eggplant is tender.
5. While the eggplant is roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, partially covered, stirring until the corn starts to sizzle and brown. This should take about 10 minutes, remove from heat, and let cool until the eggplant is done.
6. Place the eggplant onto a platter, and cover with the corn, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese (I used about 2-3 oz.) and the chopped mint leaves.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

261

Fat (grams)

21 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

4 g

Carbs (grams)

17 g

Fiber (grams)

3 g

Net carbs

14 g

Sugar (grams)

5 g

Protein (grams)

4 g

Sodium (milligrams)

174 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

6 mg

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