Recipe by Wine Club Member Lauren March
Fried Aubergines with Brussels Sprout Apricot Salad
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Fry Temp: 370 degrees F
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
3 cups vegetable oil
Salad:
4 cups chiffonade Brussels sprouts
4 apricots, cut into wedges
1 medium carrot, cut julienned
Glaze for Aubergine:
¼ cup Clif Family Solar Grown™ Raw Honey
1 medium orange, juice and zest
Pinch of salt
Batter:
¼ cup corn starch or arrow root starch
1 cup flour
¼ tps baking powder
1 ½ cups Clif Family Mendocino Rosé of Grenache
Salad Dressing:
1 orange, juiced
1 tsp sugar or Clif Family Solar Grown™ Raw
Honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ tsp salt
Preparation:
Measure out the 1 ½ cups Clif Family Rosé of Grenache and place in freezer until needed.
Cut eggplant into small cubes (about ½” to a ¾”). Salt the eggplant cubes (a sprinkling across all of them) and set on a paper towel for 15 minutes to draw out the moisture. Pat the sweat off with a paper towel.
For the glaze, add the honey, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and zest to a bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir to combine. Set aside for later.
For the batter, mix the cornstarch or arrowroot, baking powder, and the flour together and then slowly add the Rosé of Grenache. You are looking for a pancake batter consistency (depending on the humidity, you might need a little more wine). Place the batter in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or while prepping the rest of the dish. The colder your batter is, the crunchier it will get in the oil.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan. Depending on the pan or pot you are using, you may need a little more or less oil. You need 1” of oil in the pot or pan you are using to fry your eggplant.
While your oil is heating cut the fresh apricots into bite-sized wedges. Julienne the carrot and chiffonade the brussels sprouts thinly. Place the apricots, carrots, and brussels sprouts into a salad bowl and set aside.
Add the ingredients for the dressing together into a bowl or jar and whisk or shake till its thoroughly combined. Set the dressing aside until ready to serve. You may need to re-whisk or re-shake the dressing before you add it to the salad later.
Coat the eggplant in the batter making sure all pieces are fully covered. The batter may look thin, but it will fluff up and get crispy in the oil.
Add the eggplant pieces one at a time until there is enough eggplant to spaciously fill the pan up. You don’t want them to be touching, but you don’t want them to be social distancing either. Fry the eggplant pieces until crispy and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the fried eggplant from the oil and place on a plate with paper towels to drain any excess grease. Immediately season the fried eggplant with salt while still hot.
Add desired amount of dressing to your salad. Toss salad to combine. Put your salad on the plate and top it with the deliciously fried eggplant. Drizzle the glaze on top of the eggplant.
Enjoy with a glass of the Clif Family Mendocino Rosé of Grenache!