Millefeuille d'Aubergines And Chèvre Frais

Maybe it was the glass of wine, the candlelit restaurant, jet lag, or Mercury retrograde. Perhaps the sun was in my eyes....or maybe it was just the camera that allowed me to delete all of my pics without asking me a second time if I really wanted to get rid of photos from a fabulous day with friends. C'est la vie! So I don't have a photo of my sumptuously layered fresh goat cheese and eggplant starter, from Ambassade d'Auvergne, in Paris. I did come home and create my version to enjoy as I remembered it in my mind and with my taste buds, if not from my photographs. Just as savory!

My friend and fellow "stew", Lisa Magnuson of the Providence Wine Examiner, recommended some wine selections to go along with this starter. Her top choices are, Spanish Cava (sparkling), Tavel Rosé, Alsatian Riesling (which is dry) or a White Bordeaux. Today I served a chilled Rosé from Provence that I had gotten previously in Paris, and it was perfect.

So pour a glass of wine, enjoy this with friends...and watch for tricky fingers on the camera buttons!!

Millefeuille d'Aubergines And Chèvre Frais

1/2 pound baby or small Italian eggplant

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (thyme, basil, oregano) or 1/2 teaspoon dried herb de Provence

1 clove minced garlic

sea salt and pepper to taste

1-2 teaspoons honey

4 ounces fresh goat cheese*

*If you can't find fresh goat cheese, whisk a small amount of milk or cream with the cheese to loosen it slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice unpeeled eggplant 1/8 inch thick. Using a mandolin makes it easier and more uniform.

Place on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, herbs, garlic and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spread the eggplant out in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake about 10-15 minutes.

You want the eggplant to be cooked but not too brown. Since the slices are very thin, they will cook quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Once they are done, let cool.

In a 1 1/2 cup clear glass (so you can see the layers), drizzle a few drops of olive oil and place a layer of goat cheese first. You'll be making 4-5 layers, so you'll need about one ounce per layer. Drizzle a few drops of honey, then add a layer of the cooked eggplant, making sure they are laying flat. Add a light drizzle of olive oil over the eggplant. Press down to get rid of any empty spaces and to make a firm layer. Keep repeating, ending with the eggplant. Refrigerate until firm.

To unmold, set glass in a bowl of warm water for a minute, being careful not to get any water into the glass. Run a small metal spatula around the edges to loosen and invert onto serving plate. Drizzle some honey and olive oil over the top and garnish with fresh herbs.

Serve with crusty French bread.

Makes 1 cup.

Millefeuille d'Aubergines And Chèvre Frais recipe (pdf)

Green Fields And Flowers

On Sunday we left my energetic seaside town that has a dance...tango...tangle of people and cars, and went to the midwest. It is a land of Firemen's festivals, country fairs and "hello, how are you doing?" We stayed with my sister Sandy and her husband, who live down a country road of just a few homes. They have their own lake out back and across the lane is a neighbor's field of haystacks and occasionally visiting horses behind a barbed wire fence...none were there that day. The rest of the family usually converge here from the nearby city as we catch up while the kids squeal with delight on the tire swing, catch slippery frogs, go for a paddle boat ride or just run and see what nature has brought today. The crickets and birds chime in the background. Sometimes in the morning when you wake up early enough, you can hear a neighboring rooster crow, "good morning!" At dinnertime, if there is a last minute extra mouth to feed, my brother-in-law volunteers to run down to the farm stand and get a few more ears of corn as my sister effortlessly turns out a meal for a crowd.

Then the time came when we had to leave. The plane lifted off and we reluctantly left the fields of green and family behind until next time. Back at home, I looked at my own small garden and picked some lettuce that wants to bolt from the simmering sun we've had lately. The arugula already had some peppery flower heads, and the herbs are all flowering as they ready for the fall and its welcome crisp air. All I really wanted today was a salad of greens and herbs...no tomatoes, no cukes, just the greens and the flowering herbs blessed with a light vinaigrette. It almost looked more like a bouquet of late summer than a salad, and it tasted sweet with an herbal headiness. If you close your eyes gently, you might be somewhere in a field of greens and flowers.
Field Greens and Herb Salad

6 ounces mesclun greens
1 ounce assorted herbs, such as basil, thyme, chives, dill, tarragon, mint
assorted herb flowers

For a composed salad, arrange mesclun greens, herbs and herb flowers on individual plates and drizzle vinaigrette over them. For a tossed salad, chop herbs, and toss with mesclun greens, herb flowers and vinaigrette.

Serves 4.

White Wine Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
sea salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk vinegar into olive oil until thickened and emulsified. Whisk in Dijon mustard and sea salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 1/3 cup.

Field Greens and Herb Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette (pdf)

~Thanks to Sandy and Don for being such wonderful hosts and to the the family for great fun. And thanks Zac, for some of the great pics taken with your 40 year old Praktica film camera.