Jamies Blackened Sweet Aubergine Recipes

BLACKENED SWEET EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Place eggplants in a tray and cook at the top of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the insides are very soft and the outsides dry and almost crisp.
• Remove from the oven, slit the skin and scrape out the flesh.
• Add cumin and garlic, stir in and break up. (You can make this smooth or coarse, depending on how you like it.) Add olive oil to loosen. Add lemon juice and season, to taste.
• Serve warm or at room temperature. If adding herbs do this at the last minute.

OLD-FASHIONED SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift the flour from a height onto a clean work surface and sift the icing sugar over the top. Using your hands, work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar by rubbing your thumbs against your fingers until you end up with a fine, crumbly mixture. This is the point where you can spike the mixture with interesting flavors, so mix in your lemon zest. Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and gently work it together until you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly. Don't work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator to rest for at least half an hour.