Eggplant Rose Bouquet

Hannah Sunderani
May 24, 2017
3 min read

I've recently started a new hobby of eating eggplant daily! I love roasting the eggplant in oil until it's super soft and supple. Add a little salt and pepper and OH MY it's a revelation! Sometimes it astounds me how delicious simple can really be. But of course, simple to me means a challenge to get creative elsewhere, and so here we have this eggplant dish in the form of a rose bouquet!

How pretty is this bouquet of eggplant roses? I am so in awe of how this recipe turned so easily from everyday to gourmet! Really, anything in rose shape makes my heart skip a beat. Take my Apple Roses for example. There's no doubt that my heart has a special place for bottles of rosé and big bouquets! And, what's better than a bouquet of roses? Edible ones!

This eggplant, although looks fancy, requires minimal ingredients to make. All you need are a couple eggplants, some salt and pepper and olive oil. That's it! In fact, I've left the ratio of ingredients for this recipe sort of open-ended to suit your taste preferences. For me, I love my eggplant with loads of sea salt, and finished with some sesame seeds and rosemary. But, just like a bouquet of flowers, everyone has their favourites. So feel free to mix it up!

To make the roses I used my mandoline and sliced the eggplant into long thin strips 1/8th inch wide. Then I sprinkled the eggplant strips with some sea salt and pepper and began rolling and securing the bottoms with toothpicks. Next, I filled my pan with the rolled eggplant (removing the toothpicks) to create what looked like a bouquet of roses. The size of your pan will depend on how many roses you get out of your eggplant, for me I used a 7-inch cake pan. (Full disclosure, I was planning to do this in my cast iron skillet, but it was too big! If yours fits I'd recommend using it!). From there, I gently painted the top of the eggplant roses with olive oil, trying to get into all the nooks and crannies. Then I sprinkled the bouquet with more sea salt (because why not) and popped it in the oven to bake.

The final outcome is a beautiful eggplant bouquet that will turn heads! And is sure to make your loved ones feel extra special. Because really, who doesn't enjoy the loving gesture of a flower bouquet? And you've gone above and beyond with this dish. After all, you didn't just come home with a bouquet of roses...you made one!

Hope you enjoy this delicious dish!

Eggplant Rose Bouquet

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggplants
sea salt and pepper, to taste
more olive oil, for painting
the juice of 1/2 lemon
sesame seeds, to sprinkle
salt flakes, to sprinkle (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium. Fry rosemary until crisp, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a paper towel to drain; set rosemary oil aside.
Using your mandoline slice eggplants lengthwise to be 1/8 inch thick. Lay flat on countertop and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes to absorb. Then, begin rolling eggplant and secure the ends with a toothpick.
In a pan, or cast iron skillet, add the eggplant roses one by one to create a floral arrangement look. Remove toothpicks from eggplant as you place them into the pan, and ensure the eggplant roses are nice and compact. (They will shrink when cooked).
Paint the eggplant with remaining rosemary oil, and additional olive oil as needed, to get into all the nooks and crannies. Season with the juice of 1/2 lemon, and more sea salt.
Place eggplant bouquet in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven, paint with more olive oil, and return back to oven to cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until soft and supple.
Sprinkle eggplant bouquet with fried rosemary, sesame seeds, and salt flakes.