A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain

 A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain is the latest selection at Cook the Books. Our host is Claudia at Honey from the Rock and her announcement may be found HERE.

Anthony Bourdain is the bad boy of the kitchen chefs. He could be obnoxious, crude and yet entertaining. The chapter called where food comes from was a bit gory. Did I ever feel bad for that pig and apparently, so did Bourdain.

One of the stories I enjoyed the most was called West Coast. He told how he managed to get a reservation at the French Laundry bringing his friends Eric Ripert , Scott Brian and Michael Ruhlman.  He worried Thomas Keller would not allow him to get a reservation and thought how he could accomplish this. Apparently the French Laundry reservation list can be a difficult and lengthy process as many people want to eat there. As Bourdain needed a camera crew into the kitchen as well as the dining room, having Keller approve this seemed like a doubtful proposition. Obviously he managed it.

The chapter titled back to the beach where he and his brother returned to a family home was excellent. They rented motor scooters, they went to small bistros, they enjoyed stinky cheese and baguettes, Bordeaux reds and oysters. 

That chapter made me think about the Williams Sonoma cookbook, Essentials of French Cooking.  From this book I prepared Tomato and Eggplant Tian.

Here it is fresh from the oven.  I will certainly make this again.  It's vegetarian and could be a main course but I served it as a side.

Tomato and Eggplant Tien

2 small globe eggplants

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

6 ripe juicy tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup coarse dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Trim stems off the ends of eggplant then cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices on a bakiing sheet in a single layer.  Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper and that worked well.

Cook until eggplant is slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Turn slices over and cook 10 minutes longer.  You'll be glad you used parchment paper so it doesn't stick.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl with their juices. Add salt, pepper, garlic and thyme.

After the eggplant is removed from oven, raise temperature to 450 F. Coat a gratin dish with olive oil. Arrange eggplant slices in the dish, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with half the basil. Spread the tomato mixture over the eggplant, lifting the slices slightly to allow juices to run underneath. Sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs and dot with butter.

Bake until tomatoes are bubbling and bread crumbs are browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining fresh basil and serve at once. 

This came out well and I can recommend the recipe.  It doesn't call for Parmesan cheese but a sprinkling of fresh parm over the hot dish was good. 

There is still time to link up at Cook the Books - go check it out! Much thanks to Claudia at Honey from the Rock for hosting.

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 Marg at The Intrepid Reader for Weekend Cooking

I love eggplant.