Vegan Bon Appetit: Eggplant au Poivre

Before local eggplant completely disappears from the market, or it's impossible to find any organic, I wanted to have one last eggplant hoorah.  It was hard enough to find some decent ones at the farmers' market on Wednesday, but I did manage to find some beautiful, perfect purple ovals. In general right now, eggplant are either too big, too small, not organic, or have bruised looking skin. 

I came across a recipe for Eggplant au Poivre in Bon Appetit; a twist on the classic French steak dish with a peppery, brandy-spiked sauce. It sounded good to me, so I went for it! 

We had some friends over for dinner for our weekly screening of "The Wire" (Jacques and I are watching the season for the second time; it's the first time around the Baltimore block for our friends).  The dish was a big hit!  The eggplant was a perfect melt in your mouth texture and the sauce added a wonderful sweetness. I decided to saute the spinach with the capers instead of serving raw and I think this was a nice touch. I wasn't entirely sure what the point of cooking the lemon is, but once we squeezed the juice over everything, it brought the lemon to a whole new level of delish! Hubby friend told Wifey friend that she should get the recipe from me.  So on their behalf, and everyone else out there, here it is.  

I've noticed that Bon Appetit's recipes use a lot of steps that are not outlined in the best manner.  They have required me to look at the recipe over and over to keep track of the next step, so I changed up the wording and organization a little bit for this reprint. If you want to check out the original recipe (I didn't change it very much), here is the link.  

Eggplant au Poivre Ingredients2 large eggplants, or 4 small (about 2 lb.), trimmed, halved lengthwise
salt
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste (don't worry about going heavy, it's what the dish is all about!)
5 T olive oil, divided
2 lemons, halved
1 small shallot, minced or thinly sliced
2 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 C brandy (I was out of brandy so I used Southern Comfort instead)
6 T vegetable broth or water
2 - 3 T chilled Earth Balance
2 C fresh spinach leaves
2 T capers, drained

Directions Preheat oven to 400°.

Place eggplant, cut side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes to release its slightly bitter juices. Rinse and pat dry. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place half the eggplant in skillet, cut side down, and cook for about 2 minutes, each side, until browned. Add another 1 1/2 tablespoon oil and repeat with remaining eggplant.  

Transfer eggplant to baking sheet, cut side down. Set skillet aside to use again. Bake eggplant until tender when pierced with a knife, 10–20 minutes (depending on size). Transfer to plates, cut side up to serve.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in your skillet over high heat. Cook lemons, cut side down, until caramelized, about 4 minutes. Transfer a piece of lemons to each plate.

In same skillet, heat another tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat. Add shallot, and garlic, sprinkle with black pepper, and sauté until soft, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; carefully add brandy (brandy could ignite). Return pan to heat and cook until brandy is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add broth; simmer until slightly reduced. Add Earth Balance and whisk until well blended. Season to taste with salt.

Arrange a small pile of spinach and capers on each plate alongside eggplant. Squeeze caramelized lemons over and season with salt. Spoon sauce over to serve.