Anna embraces the season at home, with flavors she found in France, and this episode is a must-have for all the vegetarians out there! After spending the summer in Paris, Anna makes two of her new favorite recipes. She kicks things off with “Cousin Amelie’s Stuffed Tomatoes.” For this dish, grab your bikini because it’s an essential ingredient for Amelie -along with ripe tomatoes, sauteed onions, garlic, green olives, capers, fresh herbs, a little Dijon mustard, and salt. Be sure you keep the tomato tops for the perfect presentation. We all know Anna “flips” for a showpiece and her recipe for an Eggplant Tarte Tatin does not disappoint. This delicious, puffed pastry dish is layered with grilled eggplant, feta, sun-dried tomatoes Herbs de Provence, lemon juice, and more. Once it’s cooked to perfection, and ready to serve, she shows you her trick to flipping it like a pro.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 eggplants, sliced ¼” crosswise
- Kosher salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup feta
- ⅔ cup sundried tomatoes, marinated in olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp coriander, ground
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 puff pastry sheet, Dufour is delicious
- 1 egg, whisked
PREPARATION:
- Preheat oven to 375*.
- Toss medallions of eggplant in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt. Grill in a grill pan, cast iron skillet or on a bbq 3 minutes per side until grill marks are visible and eggplant begins to tenderize.
- While the eggplant cools, prepare the feta mixture in a food processor. Combine the feta, sun dried tomatoes, smoked paprika, coriander, and garlic. Puree until smooth. Taste. Add parsley and lemon juice. Add salt to taste.
- In a 10” pie or tart pan, arrange the eggplant in concentric circles. *Consider what is the bottom, will be the top when it comes time to serve, so arrange accordingly.
- Spread the feta paste onto the puff pastry within a 10” circle and place the puff pastry feta side down, onto the arranged eggplant.
- With kitchen scissors, trim the puff pastry, leaving 1” overhang around the edge of the dish. Use your fingers to gently press the excess puff pastry around the interior edge of the dish.
- Brush puff pastry with whisked egg. Use a sharp knife and make 8x ¼” incisions into the puff pastry to allow steam to escape during the bake.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until puff pastry is poofy and golden brown.
- Pull from the oven. Place a serving plate on top of the dish. Use an oven mitt to flip and reveal your masterpiece.
- Enjoy.
