Italian style Aubergine and basil Gateau

This is just a simple dish as an accompaniment to a main. In essence it is a egg based ricotta sauce with aubergine and basil. It can be served as a main with a tomato and red pepper sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 whole aubergine
• 1 clove garlic crushed.
• 25g fresh basil leaves.
• 300ml milk
• 100ml single cream
• 100g fresh ricotta
• 2 egg yolks.
• Parmesan to top
• fresh chives to garnish
• salt and pepper.

Method

• Slice aubergine to create 10mm thick discs
• butter 4 oven proof 6cm round dishes
• fry the aubergine on a very hot grill plate until char grilled on either side but still al dente in the middle. Arrange in the dishes with spinach put a layer of Aubergine the spinach, and so on. Finish with Aubergine though.
• Next in a saucepan melt a very small amount of butter and gently fry the garlic.
• Add the white wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Then add the milk and cream and bring back to the boil.
• Add the ricotta seasoning and remove from the heat.
• Stir in the egg yolks and transfer to the oven proof dishes fully covering the aubergine.
• Cook these in a medium oven 160*c for 25mins. Cook in a ban marie. (so bottom of dishes are covered in water) This will protect the custard from burning on the outside.
• Check by putting a knife in the centre and if it comes away with no liquid on it it is cooked.
• Carefully turn out of the dishes onto plates and serve. (this is done by running a knife around the sides and turning upside down on the plate) An element of praying helps too.