This One's For You, Auntie Pattie!

When I asked my readers for suggestions on what to cook next, I was not inundated with ideas that would keep me busy for weeks to come (hint, hint).  But I did get one.  My Aunt Pattie, my favorite vegetarian, requested that I try to find a recipe for eggplant parmesan where the eggplant stays crispy.  I think I may have succeeded.

I started with my trusty America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.  Yes, I know this book has failed me in the past.  But more often than note, it's a great place to start.  So there I started.  Here’s the recipe they suggested:

Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 6 to 8; 10 minutes prep time; 2 hours 30 minutes total time (includes 40 minutes salting and 45 minutes baking, so don’t panic)

• 2 globe eggplants (approx. 2 lbs), sliced into 1/4” thick rounds
• Salt
• 1 cup all purpose flower
• Pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 4 cups plain dried breadcrumbs
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups tomato sauce, pureed smooth
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
• 10 fresh basil leads, torn (optional)

1. Toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt (easiest if done in two batches) and let drain in a colander for about 40 minutes
2. Meanwhile, adjust two oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat the oven to 425 derees.  Combine the flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large zipper lock bag and shake to combine.  Beat the eggs into a shallow dish.  Combine the breadcrumbs, 1 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a second shallow dish.
3. Spread the drained eggplant over paper towels.  Wipe away as much salt as possible and press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.  Working with about 8 eggplant slices at a time, place them in the bag with the flour, seal and shake until thoroughly coated.  Remove the eggplant, shaking off any excess flour and dip into the eggs.  Remove the eggplant from the eggs, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat evenly with the breadcrumbs, pressing them to adhere.  Lay the breaded eggplant on a wire rack.  Do this with all remaining eggplant slices.
4. Remove the preheated baking sheets from the oven.  Pour 3 tablespoons oil onto each sheet, tilting to coat the sheets evenly.  Spread the breaded eggplant in a single layer over the hot sheets.  Bake until the eggplant is well browned and crisp on the first side, about 20 minutes.  Flip the eggplant slices over.  Switch and rotate the baking sheets, and continue to bake until the second side is browned, about 10 minutes longer.  Do not turn off the oven.
5. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9x13” baking dish.  Shingle half of the eggplant slices over the tomato sauce.  Distribute 1 more cup of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella.  Shingle the remaining eggplant in the dish, and dot with another cup of sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so that it will remain crisp.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
6. Place the dish on the lower-middle rack of the oven.  Bake until the cheese is bubbling and well browned, about 15 minutes.  Sprinkle the basil (if using) over the top and cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Pass the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan separately.

Sounds easy, right?  Actually, it was.  It was work, don’t get me wrong, but nothing was really complicated.

But of course, I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly.  I had to make it my own.  (Like this was a challenge on Top Chef.  Like I’d ever be able to compete on Top Chef.)  My big change was to substitute the plain breadcrumbs for Italian style panko bread crumbs.  (Yes, an Italian version of a Japanese breadcrumb.)  My aunt specifically requested “crispy” and panko breadcrumbs are known to make things much crispier than regular.  I followed the rest of the recipe to the letter.

The verdict?  The top layer of eggplant was pretty crispy – definitely not soggy.  The bottom was good too.  I wouldn’t say the bottom layer was soggy – definitely not – but it wasn’t as crispy as the top, but that’s to be expected since it was adorned with sauce on both sides and topped with another layer of eggplant.

The real truth?  I thought the eggplant was a little too salty.  Okay, very salty.  B’s conclusion was that the eggplant was on the high end of the acceptable salt spectrum.  (I swear on my life those were his exact words.)  My recommendation would be to stick with the Italian style panko breadcrumbs, but omit the salt and pepper when preparing the breadcrumbs for this dish.  And make sure you do a really good job wiping the salt off the eggplant after it’s has drained.  Also, consider using a low salt tomato sauce – I used my homemade sauce which has the tendency to be a touch on the salty side.  (And that's how I like it, so I won’t apologize.  Except to my dad, who needs to watch his sodium.)  Whatever you do, do not skip the step of salting and draining the eggplant.  This is critical for releasing much of the water content which allows it to crisp up really nice in the oven.  And don’t get any fancy ideas about deep frying the eggplant.  While deep frying makes things like French fries and chicken nice and crispy, it won’t work as well on the eggplant (the breading will be good, but the vegetable itself will be one giant soggy disaster).

So, Auntie Pattie, I think it’s worth a try.  Let me know how it turns out!!